The Powers that Be
by carocali
Summary: Sam and Dean are led to a strange young boy who has the ability to reach Sam in his nightmares. Once they arrive, things are not as they appear as demons control the household, and what they really want is Sam.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

There was a breeze outside that made the branches from the nearby tree tap lightly on the side of the motel window. Inside, Sam Winchester was trying to get caught up on some much needed sleep. He thrashed around as he had another nightmare. Suddenly, it startled him awake. Sweat dripped from his forehead and matted his brown hair. Next to him, his brother Dean stirred slightly but continued to slumber.

"3:57am. Great, at least I got 43 minutes this time."

Sam turned from the clock and put a pillow over his head. The nightmares were becoming a nightly ritual, torturing him with information that he didn't know what to do with. There was something different about this dream though. Bits of it came back to him – a white, two story house, a young boy, a mean spirit, satchels of angelica root.

"What does it mean?" He put his fists to the side of his head, pressing deep to stop the throbbing headache that always ensued after a nightmare. _I don't know how much more of this I can take._

Suddenly, Dean's phone rung once to indicate a text message.

"Sam?"

Without a thought, Sam grabbed the phone and flipped it open. He let out a sigh.

"What is it? Is it dad?"

Sam shook his head in frustration. "Coordinates. Never anything more."

The message read:

_Time: 3:57am_

_Sender: Unknown_

_Message: 38.72 -94.45_

"Safety first! At least we know he's still out there Sammy. That's something." Dean rolled up to a sitting position. His short brown hair never seemed out of place, no matter what he did. He pushed the sheets aside and his legs dropped to the floor. On the floor next to the bed was a shirt with the _Ghostbusters _symbol on it. Dean reached for it and quickly put it on. "Let me see."

Sam handed Dean the phone as he got up and went to turn on his computer. He did a quick stretch to get the 43 minutes of sleep out of his system and hit 'start' on the coffee maker. _Might as well get it started early today_.

"38.72 -94.45? Wow those are really specific" Dean wiped sleep from his eyes and made his way over to where Sam set up the computer. "You know, you'd think dad would be a little more considerate of our sleeping patterns when he sends a text message. I need my beauty sleep." Dean glanced at Sam who was not looking well. "Did you sleep at all?"

"I have a new record – 43 minutes." The coffee began to percolate from the $10 machine.

"I was up when the phone beeped."

"Now what?" Dean looked to his brother with concern. "Anything you can make sense of?" Dean was still not comfortable with the dreams, and they even scared him. He was beginning to understand they meant something; a warning. The impact it was having on his brother's health, and his own sleep, was becoming worrisome, however. It was like the dreams were intentionally trying to break Sam down.

"I was trying to put it together when the phone rang. Just images – a white house, a kid, those satchel things we used to help Jenny back home in Lawrence. Nothing else is coming to me." He got up and looked to the coffee. It was close enough for one cup which he poured for himself.

"Well that's weird as hell, John Edward. Did you recognize any of it?" Dean always tried to lighten the mood. "Where's mine?"

Sam took a sip of the coffee. _Strong._ "It'll be ready in a minute, and no I didn't recognize anything." Sam focused his attention to the computer screen. He paged through some information. A moment passed. "Well, this is peculiar"

"What is?"

"No, it's Peculiar. Peculiar, Missouri. That's where the coordinates lead" Sam turned the computer so Dean could see the results of the coordinates.

"Yes, quite peculiar. What's there?"

Sam scrolled down the website with the generic information listed. "It's about 30 miles from Kansas City, population 3,500, average age is 31."

"Sounds boring. What else?" Dean took the moment to get the cup of coffee that he should have been offered five minutes earlier.

"Well, the population change at the last census in the 90's was up 666 people." Sam continued to search "And it appears that the town was named by a spiritualist who declared it 'peculiar' that he had seen the town in a vision, whatever that means"

"Hey just like you! That's a little more up to speed." Dean's smile faded as Sam was in no mood to play along. "Do they have a link to the local paper?"

Sam clicked the mouse a few times. "Yeah, here we go. The town has been squeaky clean for years. No murders, rapes, robberies, then all of a sudden a woman suddenly dies in her home. There was no forced entry, no murder weapon, but there is a homicide investigation underway."

"Not much for the police to go on"

"No. Her name was Julie Davis. It seems she had a son who said he heard strange noises in the house. When he went downstairs, he found his mother dead, in a pool of blood. He claims that a ghost was haunting them, but the police are discounting his comments as stress induced."

"Yeah, I bet they're stress induced. Sounds like a winner." Dean got up and looked out the window. He saw the tree branches hitting the window. "Damn that's annoying. I almost couldn't fall asle…."

Sam gasped unexpectedly.

"What is it?"

He pointed to the computer. There was a picture of a young boy, scared and alone, in the middle of the screen. "That's the boy in my nightmare!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The Chevy Impala was their traveling home away from home, with all the amenities of mullet rock, as Sam so brazenly called it. Dean was obsessed with the likes of AC/DC, Motorhead and his favorite – Metallica. This was not exactly the kind of music that Sam was used to, being fresh from the College scene, but he was starting to appreciate it. He would never tell his brother though. The Winchesters boys approached the city limits of Peculiar, Missouri. They came to a sign that read "The Odds are With You."

"Well that's an odd town saying." Sam shot Dean a glance to shut him up. "What dude, I'm just saying?"

"There's the hotel. Let's go check in now so we have a home base" Dean nodded in agreement and they pulled into the parking lot.

After settling into their room, they headed back to the desk clerk. She was in her late 30's with a cheery face and a ponytail in her hair. She wore glasses around her neck.

"Damn shame about that woman. And her poor son. Did you know her?" Dean leafed through a pamphlet about the local history of the town, looking up to see if she took the bait.

"Yes, we have children the same age. Johnny is just devastated by this whole thing. He lost his daddy overseas, and now his momma. I don't know what they're going to do with him." The woman shook her head in disbelief. "He hasn't been in school for the last week, so my boy hasn't seen him."

Sam leaned into the counter to get a feel for the woman. "The poor boy. It's overwhelming to lose someone so unexpectedly. We have some experience with that, and dealing with young children." Sam looked into the woman's eyes and smiled deeply. "Do you think there's anything to this ghost theory?" He cocked his head slightly.

The woman chuckled. "Johnny's been talking about ghosts for a while. I think that was his way of dealing with his 'situation.' It has escalated since his daddy died. Charles was overseas on and off for two years in Iraq. I think Julie was having an affair, but I didn't know her well enough. It's all just gossip – but in a small town, everyone knows everyone's business"

Dean looked up from the leaflet. "Yeah, the war! What can you do?" The woman gave Dean a blank stare.

Sam quickly changed the subject. "So, where is Johnny now? Is he is foster care?"

The woman looked down through her motel records and started to organize some items. "I think he is staying with his Aunt down the road. She doesn't live far from the home on Gregory."

_Getting warmer._ "Right, Gregory. Do you remember the address?" The clerk looked from the records to Sam who was smiling at her again. Dean looked to the ceiling in disgust.

"Sure, 999 Gregory. It's right past Kayla street, where his aunt lives. Were you thinking about going to see them? I'm not sure how they will react to strangers." The woman suddenly realized she had made a mistake. "I can't believe I just let all that out…."

"Please don't worry m'aam. We are here to help the boy." Dean pulled out a myriad of fake ids and chose "social worker" from his pile. "The state just likes to check on orphans to make sure they are in proper care." Dean handed her the proper identification.

She looked at the id and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry. I was just worried that you were some weirdos chasing a ghost story." She laughed despite herself. Dean accompanied her to lighten the mood.

Yeah, weirdos. Freaks! You just never know who's out there," he said sarcastically.

"Please don't be concerned," said Sam trying to swing the conversation back around. "We are just trying to ascertain the situation. You have been a great help." Sam took her hand and the woman blushed. "Thank you." They turned to leave.

"You don't happen to know a good place to grab some chow by chance do you," Dean asked, realizing he was suddenly hungry.

"Well the Peculiar Drive-in has some of the best burgers around, and it's just up the road."

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you for all your help." She raised her hand in a wave goodbye. The boys left the lobby and went back to their hotel room. Sam trailed Dean slightly.

"Dude, I know you are good, but how did you do that," demanded Dean. "She might as well have given us the key to their house."

Sam walked back in silence. He wondered the same thing. It came so easy this time. Much easier than before. She was like a sieve of information, and when he touched her, he knew they were in the right place. What did it mean?

"Sam!"

"What?" He turned to look at Dean.

"Our room is over here. You just walked right past it."

"Oh yeah, right. I thought we were down a bit more." Sam walked back sheepishly to the room, lost in his thoughts. He followed Dean through the door.

**Chapter 3**

They climbed into the Impala and Dean went right for Metallica, which was a sure sign that he was worried about Sam. _What is going on with Sammy?_ On cue Sam said "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Right dude, right!"

"Look, I'm trying to be honest with you about what's going on in my head. I really don't know." Sam looked to him in desperation. Dean could tell he was just as upset. "I don't know what to do."

"Sammy, we'll figure this out together. We made that promise. I don't know whether this is good or bad, but we'll figure it out." Dean patted Sam on the cheek. Sam punched him in the shoulder.

"What?" They both smiled.

"Turn here, this is Kayla, so Gregory is around the corner." The Impala made a squeaking noise as it made the turn. The town seemed to be mostly farm country, so the houses were scattered here and there. As they approached the intersection of Gregory and Kayla, Sam saw the house a bit up the road. It was white, two stories. He shivered involuntarily.

"What is it," asked Dean seeing Sam shudder out of the corner of his eye.

"That's the house. The house in my dream." Dean turned to stare at him. "Two story, white house."

"Great," he said sardonically. "Well at least we know we're in the right place"

They pulled up in front. The white house had a low picket fence with an arch gate to enter the yard. There were still some signs of police activity as bits of the "Police Line do not cross" tape were strewn in the yard. The nearest neighbor was at least 500 feet away. No one would have heard her scream to help her.

Dean looked to Sam. "What do you think?"

What he wanted to do was turn and run. This could only be bad. His visions gave him clues, but this last one was just bits and pieces. It was different from the rest. He couldn't remember what actually happened. Sam viewed the area and noticed a car in the driveway. He took a deep breath and said "I think we knock on the door and see what answers."

They got out of the car and headed toward the fence. Dean led the way. He wanted to get this over with. Sam stopped just as he got in the archway.

"What is it?"

He leaned against the fence to catch himself. "It's….. evil. All around, I.."

"Sam?" Dean started to his side.

"No, I'm ok. It's just overwhelming. I've never felt like this before. It's a draining feeling, dark and ugly." He pushed himself back up and started slowly toward the door.

"We don't have to do this, you know. We can turn around right now."

Sam ignored him and climbed the steps to the front door. They came this far, they might as well see what was behind door #1. A cold chill washed over him. With shaking hand, he pushed the doorbell. Dean arrived next to him, too late to see his unsteady hand. Thumping was heard inside and the door whipped open.

"SAM! I knew you'd come!" It was the little boy in Sam's nightmare. "See Aunt Jana, I told you he would come! Sam and Dean are here to rescue us!"

**Chapter 4**

A feather could have knocked the boys over with that comment. Sam and Dean exchanged looks of incredulousness. "I'm sorry, have we met you before," asked Sam, trying to catch his breath.

"No! I just called for you." The little boy, about 10 years old with strawberry blonde hair wearing a t-shirt and jeans, was filled with glee at the sight before him. Jana, the boy's Aunt, looked at the Winchesters and then to her nephew. Her mind was trying to process the information at hand, and it wasn't computing.

"I….I don't know what to say. You're Sam and Dean?"

"Well that makes three of us sweetheart! What the hell is going on here?" Dean started to look around the neighborhood for surveillance of some kind, thinking he was on Candid Camera. Unfortunately, he knew better and that it was more of a spook radar than comedy.

Sam gazed at the little boy, who he assumed was 'Johnny' and saw recognition. Not just from his face, but from somewhere else. The boy grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him in the door without asking his Aunt. The moment they touched, Sam felt relief from the darkness. The cold was gone. "You feel it too, don't you?" The boys face lit up at the touch of Sam. A connection was made, a bond that Sam could not explain. "You can feel the ghost in the house too, can't you?" Sam nodded and followed him.

At the door, Jana and Dean watched the events unfold. Dean's guard went up automatically. He made a motion to enter the house, but wasn't sure how to proceed. "Come in, I guess. I'm Jana. Dean?" The moment was extremely awkward.

"Ah, yeah."

Jana McGregor, Julie Davis' sister, was a pretty young woman in her mid twenties with auburn hair. Her build was medium with stunning blue eyes. She wore a fitted sweater that enhanced her figure. Jana looked at Dean, wondering what he and his brother were doing in her sister's home. He smiled back and cautiously looked for Sam.

Sam and the boy were already in the living room on the floor looking at his toys when Dean and Jana entered. Sam looked to Dean with a questioning expression, but continued on with the game. "So that's _Johnny_, right?" Dean asked of Jana. She nodded.

Dean made his way to the living room and stood in the doorway. "Johnny," called Dean. The boy quickly turned to look at him. The dog tags around his neck jingled softly. He gave him a big smile. "Can you please tell me what's going on here?" Sam shot him a look.

Johnny took no notice of Dean's tone in the question. "You already know," he began. "My mom died a week ago. The ghost in our house did it. I've been staying with Aunt Jana, but he's still here. I knew that Sam could help, so I called out for him, and you guys came." He picked up his toys and continued to play as if it were common news to the Winchesters.

Sam stood up. His large frame towered over the young boy. "But Johnny, how did you call me?" He shook his head in wonder. "Why me? I don't understand."

"Because of who you are and what you do." He stated matter of factly. Jana moved and crossed her arms as she stood next to Dean.

"But…. What do I do," begged Sam.

Dean watched in anticipation. Could it be that this boy knew what was going on with Sam? Could he help his brother live a normal life? If he had the ability to call to Sam, maybe he knew how to control the nightmares? It all seemed so far fetched, yet there they were standing in front the boy who did it.

Tension filled the air. The boy laughed and ran out of the room, his dog tags flowing behind him. Sam slouched in a nearby chair, suddenly feeling that coldness enter him again. He felt the blood drain from his face. He looked to Dean for an answer.

"What the hell?" cried Dean. The sudden change in Sam was alarming. He looked pale and discontent. He was having second thoughts about this job.

"Look, I'm really sorry. I have no idea what's going on. Frankly, this whole thing is creeping me out." Jana began to move about the room nervously picking up Johnny's toys to distract herself. "He's been talking for days about two people named Sam and Dean coming to rescue him. Now, here you are, out of nowhere!" Jana kept moving despite herself. "I've heard his ghost stories for a while now, I might even believe them. But, I don't know." She trailed off. She placed the toys in a chest near the couch and sat down befuddled.

Dean glanced to Sam who was clearly shaken by the whole ordeal. _He's no use right now._ Dean took it upon himself to explain the situation. He went into high gear. "There's really no point in hiding what we do," began Dean. Sam looked up at him in wonder. "The short and long of it is, we hunt evil and destroy it. Last night my brother woke up from a nightmare. Two seconds later we had coordinates to _this_ city via a text message from our father." He pulled the brochure he had taken from the motel out of his pocket. "We arrived in town, talked to a local and she pointed us here. We pulled in front of this house and Sam recognized it, and your nephew, from his dream." Jana was bewildered at the words that came out of his mouth. "There is a reason we are here, so we need to figure out what it is and kill it." Jana just stared.

Slowly Sam came back into the conversation. "It's a demon, a really nasty one," he stated from nowhere.

"Are you sure?" asked Dean. "What makes you say that?"

"I felt it when I hit the property line. It's very powerful and it wants something. It definitely killed Johnny's mom." He rose to his feet and walked toward Dean, still shaken.

_What the hell is going on here?_ Jana looked at both of them wanting to laugh it off, but deep down, she knew they were right. "What do we do?"

"We'll need the history of the house and the family," began Dean. "We need to figure out what it is. I think Sam already has a few ideas of how to destroy it." Dean looked at Sam for confirmation. He shrugged. Dean turned to Jana. "What can you tell me about Julie and Charles relationship?"

Jana sighed and started to cry. Sam sat next to her on the couch and put his arm around her. She explained how Charles had gone to Iraq and had leave a few times. During that time he was away, Julie was very lonely. She did everything she could for Johnny. She loved Charles very much, but ended up seeing another man. Julie ended up telling Charles in a letter of her affair. When he received it weeks later, he called her and told her to go to hell. It was angry, vicious stuff, cursing her and swearing revenge. One month later, he was killed in combat. They got the knock at the door and were given Charles' dog tags.

"Since then, things have been even more strange. I honestly think that Charles is haunting this house, but I can't say how." She fidgeted nervously in her seat. She heard 'bang, bang' upstairs from Johnny who was playing away like nothing had happened.

Dean and Sam looked at each other "The dog tags"

"Sometimes items can be used to shelter a soul. He would have known if he was killed in combat that the tags would come here. He probably lost the will to live and decided it would be better to get revenge in the afterworld." Dean paced around the room, refusing to sit. "Will Johnny give them up?"

"He never takes them off. I can't imagine that he would be willing to give them freely to be destroyed." More thudding and 'bang' noise could be heard from the boy's room.

Sam looked to Dean. "It's more than that. Charles would not be a demon. He may be a catalyst, but that's not it."

"Ok, then what is it, Sherlock," quipped Dean, annoyed that they hadn't resolved the issue.

Sam held his head in his hands. The headache was back. "I don't know."

"Well that's just great!" Dean kicked a toy soldier that Jana had missed lying on the floor. "I say we nuke the tags, do the satchel thing and call it a day."

Sam got up from the couch in a daze and made his way into the kitchen, ignoring Dean and his tirade. Jana observed as he freely walked about her sister's home. _That's nervy!_ As he arrived in the kitchen, he could smell cleaning supplies coming from the dining room, where Julie had been killed. Without thinking, he entered. Dean and Jana watched him from the living room. "Sam?" He continued into the dining area and noticed an extremely clean area in the room. The exact spot Julie lost her life. "Sam, what are you doing?" Instinct kicked in and Dean sprinted toward the room. Jana followed him.

Johnny appeared, standing in front of the spot. Sam stared at Johnny for a moment. Their eyes linked and Sam knelt down to get a better look. There were still traces of blood in the carpet. He reached forward.

"Sam, don't!" Dean appeared in the kitchen behind him.

"Touch it Sam," said Johnny playfully. His eyes smiled like the Cheshire cat. Sam needed to know what was there, beyond the spot. Something was calling him here. _Touch it, touch it._ He touched the carpet as Jana appeared in the doorway.

"NO!"

_Sam jolted back in a convulsion. Pain was streaming all around him. He could see Julie being attacked by something, but he couldn't make it out. It seemed more of a shadow. It or they came from everywhere, every angle. Sam lived each moment of her murder. Her screams became Sam's screams. She tried to run, but her feet wouldn't move. It enveloped her and suffocated her. Then Sam felt it – a ripping in his chest. He tried to scream, but the thing was killing her from the inside out. It was killing them. Sam couldn't breathe…_

"Sam! SAM!" He could hear his brother screaming, see the pain that he was in. Dean ran to Johnny who stood watching the site expressionless and grabbed the dog tags from his neck. "Salt. Where is the salt?" Dean yelled at Jana who stood with her mouth open, unable to move. He tore through the cupboards and found table salt. It would have to do. He threw the tags into the sink and poured the contents of the package.

"Daddy's tags. No!" cried Johnny, but Sam was already coming around. Dean saw it was working and took the olive oil sitting on the counter, threw it on the salt and pulled out his lighter. The fire was weak, but it would have to do. Once he knew it was going, he ran back to Sam. He lay unconscious on the floor.

"Sammy!" He turned him over to see that he was burning up. He felt for a heartbeat. It was erratic but stable. Jana snapped out of her coma and ran to get some ice and a cloth. Johnny came back into the room to look at Sam and Dean.

"Why did you do that? Those were my daddy's tags." He was upset with Dean but then looked at Sam. He didn't understand what just happened.

"Well little Johnny, daddy will have to live on in your memory. He's the one that killed your mom – through those tags." Dean cradled Sam hoping that he would come around now that the tags were gone. Still nothing. He looked to Johnny accusingly. "Why did you make him touch the carpet? Did you know what it would do?"

"Here," said Jana as he handed Dean the cloth for Sam's forehead.

"Daddy didn't kill mommy, they did. And they told me to bring Sam in here."

The room was ice cold. Dean raised his head to see several shadows hovering over the spot where Julie was killed. He swore he heard satanic laughter. Jana screamed. Then they vanished.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi there**

**To any of you that are still around, thanks! In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a complete moron. I cannot figure out how to work this whole upload thing. I'm trying a different angle and writing on the chapter before I send it. I read directions and it told me to do all the chapters at once, but then it posted them all. Oops! If nothing else, my stupidity is a good laugh for you, right? **

**In any case, this is my first attempt at fanfiction. I cannot believe how much fun I have had! I must warn that this is getting longer than I had originally anticipated, so bear with me. I hope that you enjoy the ride.**

**If there is anything that doesn't make sense, please let me know. As I said, this is all new to me and I'm looking for the best way to tell the story. Thanks to the few of you who gave me the benefit of the doubt and wrote reviews! That was very thoughtful, rather than pointing and laughing.**

**So, here's the next chapter, even though it will be listed as chapter 3. Sigh… if I only had a brain!**

**:D**

**Caroline**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Chapter 5**

With help, Dean got Sam back to the living room and onto the couch. Neither Jana nor Dean spoke. They focused on the task at hand. Johnny stood and watched. Jana got some extra pillows and a blanket and tried to make Sam comfortable. Dean got his hair out of his face and checked his pulse again. Then he noticed blood on Sam's lip.

"What do you want to do," asked Jana. She tucked Sam under the blanket the best she could to keep him warm. "Should I call for a doctor?"

"Well, we don't exactly have insurance Jana. This isn't a six figure gig." She smiled, unsure how to respond.

Sam began to stir. Johnny came barreling up to him to make sure he was ok. "Sam? Sam are you there? It's me, Johnny. I'm sorry Sam. Please wake up." Johnny grabbed his hand and caressed it. An odd look crossed Sam's face and he opened his eyes. He smiled at the boy in front of him.

"Hi," he said weakly. He began to cough uncontrollably and more blood came from his mouth.

"Oh God, Sam." Jana ran to him with a cloth to help wipe him up.

Sam's hand was firmly in Johnny grasp. Sam's eyes seemed to brighten for a moment and the coughing faded. "It's ok that you had to destroy the dog tags. I know it saved you." Sam closed his eyes again and Johnny let go. He looked up at Dean with innocent eyes.

"He's going to be ok, he just needs some rest" Johnny got up and ran back upstairs, coughing slightly. Dean watched in astonishment. He went to Sam who looked much more peaceful than five minutes ago.

The wheels began to turn in Dean's head. This kid was some sort of empath. "Have you known Johnny to have any healing powers?" he asked Jana. "How else would he know that Sam's ok?"

"Healing powers?" She looked at Dean like he had three heads. "He's 10! What would he heal?"

Dean wasn't convinced. There was a definite change once he held Sam's hand. It had even happened when they first walked in the door. He could see the look of comfort on Sam's face. There was something about this boy that he needed to figure out.

He changed gears to the problem at hand. These spirits needed to be dealt with, and Johnny needed to find a new home. "Had your sister told you of anything else that had gone on in the house? Anything weird at all since then?" Dean was on a mission now to find answers.

Jana seemed uncomfortable. "No. Well, I don't know. She said she heard things, but I never knew what to make of it."

"Was this before or after Charles died?"

Jana looked confused. She looked at Sam, lying on her sister's couch. What was going on? Why did she let complete strangers into the house? Why did they make sense? Her thoughts ran back through the years trying to find something that would help answer Dean's questions.

"Before. I guess for years, now that I really think about it." She stepped away from the couch and felt comfortable enough leaving Sam to get herself a glass of water. The tags were still smoldering in the sink. She picked them up and gave them to Dean who placed them in a baggy and into his pocket. She offered a glass to him as well.

"This is farm country. I remember growing up a few towns over. There were Indian Burial grounds, but they didn't find anything here, at this house. The politicians fought over the area and ultimately they were able to build and farm. No one has ever reported anything to the media." Johnny made gun firing noises with his army men upstairs, oblivious to the conversation downstairs.

"But you said she heard things. What kind of things." Dean pressed the issue. He took a sip from the glass. He had no idea how thirsty he actually was.

"I think she saw things move, or things would disappear. I always thought she was just kidding me. You know, telling ghost stories to scare her kid sister." Jana was shaking a bit, but seemed more at ease away from Sam.

"One thing I've learned in this job, ghost stories are true!" He drank again from the glass. He walked toward the dining room. He remembered that he had his EMF in his pocket. He flicked it on expecting the thing to go haywire. There was nothing. He turned back to Jana. "When you saw the figures in the other room, did any of them look familiar?"

"Familiar? No, they were shadows. What do you mean?"

"I did!" Johnny appeared from nowhere. "They have been around here for a long time. They talked to me, told me about Sam and you." He had his little army men and they crashed into each other. "That's why I called you."

Jana looked at Johnny. "Why didn't you say anything before Johnny?" She knelt beside him. "What do you mean you called Sam?"

"In Sam's dreams. They told me to do it. They said you would help me once my mom died." He continued on without hesitation.

"You knew your mom was going to die, Johnny?" Jana threw her hand on her mouth. "Why wouldn't you say anything?" Dean gave her the 'no one would believe him' look, but she was too distraught to notice.

Johnny continued talking as if there was no interruption. "I've been talking to them for years. They like to play games. _They_ said mommy was very bad because of what she did to daddy. I told them no, but they said she had to be punished. I didn't believe them." He paused and seemed to have a little remorse for not saying anything to anyone. "_They_ said things would be better when she was gone. _They_ said I would meet you and you would make everything better." Suddenly his attitude changed into a fiery anger. "She only wanted to be around _him_ anyway. She never spent any time with me. She didn't love me. _He_ deserves to die too!"

"Johnny!" screamed Jana. Tears continued to stream down her face. "What are you talking about? Your mother loved you more than anything in this world. She should not have died." She fell to the floor in hysterics, crying uncontrollably. "Why didn't you say anything?"

His demeanor was back to the normal 10 year old attitude. "No one would have believed me anyway. But _they_ do. That's why they're here. Right Dean?" He indicated to Dean and Sam with outstretched hands pointing in both directions.

For the first time, Dean was at a loss for words.

There was movement on the couch and Sam tried to sit up. They rushed into the room to assist him, grateful for the interruption. Johnny ran to the couch, sat down and gave him a hug. Sam winced in pain, but put his arm around the boy. Dean looked back, trying to let Sam know to be cautious.

"Sam, you're all better?" Johnny was smiling from ear to ear.

"No kiddo, but I feel more alive than I did a while ago." Sam tried to smile at the boy. He suddenly tasted blood in his mouth.

"You'll be better soon. _They_ told me so." Johnny trotted off again. Sam looked after him and shot a questioning look at Dean. _"They,"_ he mouthed? Jana sat next to Sam.

"You gave us quite a scare Sammy." Dean knelt beside him thankful for a moment to sit. "What still hurts?"

"Well, everything, but not like it did." He touched his hand to his lips, but realized there was no pain where the blood was coming from. He looked oddly at his hand and rubbed the blood between his fingers until it was dry. "Dean, that thing," he began, "it killed her from the inside out."

Dean face was stoic. "Listen Sam, there is a lot more going on here, and that boy is the center of it."

"He's just a kid – a special kid who…"

"Shut up, you're not listening to me. He just went all Sybil on us in the kitchen. He said there are things in this house that have talked to him for years. _They_ told him to contact you in your dreams." This comment stopped Sam from his thought process. "_They_ brought us here to help him through this. He said his mom should die because of what she did to his dad. _They're_ controlling him, using him to get to _us_." Jana started to cry. Dean put his hand on her knee to comfort her.

Sam regained his contemplation and continued. "Well _they_ are very powerful. The way they killed Julie, it was to cause her as much pain as possible." He tried to stretch to get some of the kinks out but only ended up causing more discomfort. Jana sobbed heavily. "Jana, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's ok. It's horrible, but at least it makes sense. None of this made any sense until you arrived." She had a new resolve as she wiped her face and took a deep breath. _I can't believe this is happening._ "What do we do?"

Dean smirked "Do you have an axe?"


	4. Chapter 4

Hi there

Thanks for the nice comments! I went back and changed the rating to "T" I really have no idea what I'm doing. There is violence in the story, and some language, so I thought "M" made sense. I guess not. I can always change it again, right?

Please let me know if there is anything unclear. I'm grateful for your imput!

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 6**

Dean went out to the trunk of the car. They now included the satchels that Missouri made for them back home as part of their stock. It was just easier to have them ready made. He pulled out four bags and made his way back into the house.

Sam was sitting up full force. Jana had retrieved water from the kitchen and he was drinking his second glass. "I have to get that blood taste out of my mouth." He took another swig from the glass. "Did I have internal bleeding? I don't understand where it came from." He rose and went to the kitchen on his own accord. Dean looked on from the living room.

"Well that blood came from somewhere. Johnny healed you, I'm telling you," said Dean. Jana still could not accept this turn of events. Dean's eyes followed every move that Sam made. "You ok in there? I don't need to tackle you from going into the dining room again do I?"

Dean always had to make light of the situation. "No, I'm fine. I don't feel anything pulling me there." He entered the room again and faced Dean and Jana, "in fact, I feel great! Like nothing even happened."

"How is that even possible," inquired Jana. This whole day was becoming stranger by the minute. "You were on your deathbed not ½ hour ago. What, are you Superman?"

Dean chortled. "No, he's the Geek Boy Wonder." He started laughing uncontrollably.

"You've been waiting a long time to use that one, haven't you," laughed Sam. He took a swipe at him, but wasn't even close. The brother exchanged playful glances.

Dean looked to Jana. "I know you don't want to believe this, but it's Johnny. There is NO other explanation for Sam coming back to us as quickly as he did." She just shook her head. "Didn't you notice the cough he acquired after he touched Sam," asked Dean, pushing the envelope. "Has he been sick at all this week?"

"I just don't understand." Jana was getting frustrated. She couldn't wrap her head around the events that occurred. "Why is this happening? Why Johnny? Why Julie?"

"Honestly, we don't know. But we DO know that we are kicking these puppies out onto the street" Dean gathered the satchels and showed them to Jana. "Here's the plan"

Dean went into full detail of how the satchels worked and how they needed to be imbedded into the walls in all four corners of the house. He apologized upfront for the mess. They told Jana that she needed to take Johnny and get him out of the house and not tell him what was going on. The less _he_ knew, the less _they_ knew. Sam suggested going to get a pizza for dinner. Dean told her they needed to be out of the house for at least 30 minutes to assure the task was taken care of. She agreed to the plan and gave them the lay of the land, including the unfinished basement Julie used for storage.

"Let's just take a quick once over while you are still here, minus the upstairs, so we don't alert Johnny." Dean glanced about to make sure he wasn't going to magically appear again. They opened the back door and went into the yard. There was a garage and a driveway with a car parked on it that led into the backyard. "That's odd? Why do you do that?"

"I guess the people here had three or four cars, so they built a driveway in the backyard," shrugged Jana. Dean and Sam glanced at each other.

They went down the steps to the basement. It was dark and dreary, but the walls were open. No need for an axe down there. Dean opened his mouth and Sam stopped him by raising his hand. "Don't say it. This is the easier task, I know. No physical labor, so I don't have to exert myself. Blah, blah. Fine."

Dean looked at him, stunned. "That's the first thing you've said all day that makes sense baby brother! Are you reading minds now too?"

Sam blatantly ignored him. He started to survey the area. "This should work if I throw two down here and you get one on the top floor and one on the main floor." Sam worked out north, west, east and south in his head to get the full effect of the herbs.

Jana asked to look at one of the satchels. She smelled it and wrinkled her nose. She stared at them, confused. "Shouldn't you just do it now, since you are here? That would save time, wouldn't it?"

"In our experience, the sneak attack is the best way," said Dean. "If we can get them all within a few minutes of each other, then Elvis will have left the building." No response to his joke. Dean turned his head and did his best Han Solo impersonation. "Trust me…" _No takers today!_

The jokes fell on deaf ears and the three scurried out of the basement. Johnny was there to greet them. "What's going on Aunt Jana?" His quizzical eyes scoped out the situation.

"I was just asking if there was anywhere downstairs in your basement that maybe we could come and stay," interrupted Sam feeling the awkwardness of Johnny's untimely arrival. If he truly had a bond with the child, he would want him to stay.

"Really? That would be so cool." Sam smiled at him. "They would love it if you stayed! So would I. Can they Aunt Jana? Please?" The little boy jumped up and down like he had a new present on Christmas. The order of people who wanted them to stay did not slip past Sam or Dean.

"We'll talk about it over dinner. It's after 5pm. What do you think about pizza?" She shifted the gears of the conversation to leaving. "You and I will go get something from Casey's Carryout Pizza, ok?"

"That sounds great. I like anything. Not picky at all," said Sam to spur the conversation along. "Dean is a bit of a hog though, so you might want to get a large pizza." Sam pulled his nose up and acted like a pig. Johnny starting laughing hysterically. Dean gave his typical smirk and the played it off like it was no big deal.

"I just want to run across the street to get my bike first," Johnny said as he tore into the front yard and down the street. They all looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Maybe we can get a start on a wall to make this go faster before he comes back. Do you have the axe?" Dean pulled it from his jean pocket. He strategically had it hidden under the jacket in case Johnny appeared out of nowhere. "I think the logical place for that hole is in the dining room, don't you think?"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. Let's go" The boys ran into the house, expecting Jana to run some interference for them. Johnny was nowhere to be seen.

As they entered the house, Dean gave Sam a warning. "I don't want you anywhere near that spot, you hear me?" Quickly they entered the kitchen and tore into the dining area. There was a small table in the corner that would work nicely to veil their hole. Dean tapped around for the stud on the wall. He found it and moved over 6 inches. He started with a big bang, and the drywall began to cave. They smiled at each other as he hit it a little harder this time. A small hole developed, and Dean put the handle into the wall to make it bigger. "Mission accomplished. North side."

They ran back outside to meet Johnny as he rode his bike up to them. "Isn't this a cool bike Sam? I love green."

"It's great. I had one just like it when I was a kid, about your age." Sam fingered the handlebars and played with the tassels on the ends.

"I know. They told me. That's why I picked it." Johnny stated as he rode off toward Jana. A shiver ran down Sam's spine. That feeling was back.

"Dean…"

"I heard. We've gotta move really quick"

Jana and Johnny went off towards the garage where their car was parked. The boys waved at them and went back into the house. They regrouped in the kitchen. Sam grabbed two satchels and headed toward the basement. Dean took his two and ran upstairs into what looked like Julie's bedroom. An uneasiness came over him, but he continued on. Dean found his spot and started making his hole.

Sam got downstairs and went to the East part of the basement first. There was not a lot of light, but he was able to make his way back into a corner. He moved some things out of the way, but easily threw the herbs into the wall with no resistance. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding and made his way over to the West end.

Upstairs, Dean had vacated Julie's room and was making his way back to the dining room. _Why is this so easy?_ Then the cold hit him, square in the face, the minute he started walking to the dining room. Dean knew it was coming. He dropped the axe and pulled out the rifle. He had it eye level as he stepped gingerly into the dining space. This was not good.

A chill went through Sam, but he wasn't deterred. _It's now or never._ He started toward his corner. His feet became heavy and he got the shakes out of nowhere. The satchel dropped softy to the floor of the basement. Sam was only a few feet away from his destination. He picked it back up and moved ahead. Nothing was going to stop him.

Dean inched his way into the room. _Thank God we did the hole already_. Dean expected to see the shadows from before, but nothing appeared. He was right there. _Almost got it_. Then something came flying at him full force. His instincts told him to duck and roll. Dean ended up right in front of the hole.

"More things in the way," grumbled Sam. He was still chilled and unstable. Sam moved the lawnmower and a few other garden tools. There was a bench right where he needed to be. He leaned over it, using his balance, and placed the bag into the wall. "Success," he cried as he made his way upright. He turned toward the door and a brick came flying at him from nowhere. It struck him solidly in the temple. Sam never had a chance. He went down like a rock.

Quick as lightening, Dean threw the bag into the hole. Screams of anger erupted all around him. The shadows were dispersed to all four corners and the house fell eerily silent. He exhaled and made a move toward the kitchen. Dean looked to the spot on the floor. He saw a white flowing spirit rise and make its way peacefully through the house and out. "Take that Whoopi Goldberg!"

Dean picked himself up and made his way to the backyard. Sam was obviously successful or _they _wouldn't have been exorcized from the house. _The kid came through, even after all he went through in the last few days._ Dean swelled with pride. He opened the door and looked around. _No Sammy_. What was even odder was that Jana's car wasn't gone from the garage. Dean made his way to the door and saw that Jana was in the driver's seat, unconscious. He turned around and saw Johnny at the door of the other car in the backyard.

"Johnny, what happened? I thought you were going for pizza with your aunt?" He ignored Dean and got in the car. Before he could react, the car was speeding backwards right toward Dean. It slammed him into the garage. The expressions of comprehension and excruciating pain fell across his face as he was pinned against the wall. This whole thing was a set up by Johnny; or the demon that possessed him. As he struggled for consciousness, he remembered Sam in the basement. "Sam," he tried to call, but darkness fell.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 7**

Jana awoke in her car. She blinked a few times to clear the confusion from her eyes. She looked around, not remembering what happened. "Johnny! Where's Johnny," she cried. She realized she was still in the garage and that he had knocked her out. _Where did he get that strength? Who was he?_ Everything was still foggy, but she remembered the task that Dean and Sam had set out to do. _Were they able to get the demons out of the house?_

Slowly, she raised her hand to her head. There was a small lump, with some crusted blood. Jana opened the door to the car and tried to stand. She was woozy, but ok. She made her way to the door of the garage and noticed that part of the garage was smashed in. Panic took her and she ran. As she got outside, she saw Dean unconscious and crushed against the wall. "Oh God!"

Jana ran to Dean's side and checked his heartbeat. Still strong, but he was not in good shape. "Dean can you hear me," she asked. She slapped his face to try and revive him. "Dean. DEAN! Wake up Dean." He seemed to stir a little, but she decided it would be best to call 911 and get an ambulance to the house, even though they didn't have insurance. It was almost 5:30pm, which meant for half an hour or so, he had been pinned. Too much time to be alone with an injury like that. "He needs medical attention right away. Please hurry." She hung up the phone and tried to decide her next step. Jana started for the car. Her first thought was to try and move it to get him out, then she thought better of it. What if I do more damage?

She continued to check Dean where she could. There didn't appear to be any open wounds, but her fear was his internal organs. She kept trying to talk to him and get him awake. Jana felt his forehead. He was burning up and sweat had already soaked his t-shirt and gripped to his shape. Finally after what seemed like eternity, the ambulance arrived.

The Med Techs were on the scene in an instant. Jana recognized them as Bob Brown and Jerry Randle. They assessed the situation and slowly moved the car forward to release Dean. He screamed awake in pain and started to fall toward the ground. Bob was there to catch him and the two workers quickly stabilized him to get him into the ambulance. He was agitated and fought them. Dean was trying to tell them something. Jerry was about to give him a sedative when Jana realized Sam was nowhere to be found.

"Wait, Jerry don't put him under yet," she cried. Jana ran to his side and held his hand. "Sam. Where is Sam, Dean"

Finally someone was listening to him. It took all his strength but he got out the word "basement" before he fell unconscious.

"We have to go downstairs. There's another person there." Jana started running toward the basement. The Techs put Dean safely into the ambulance and left him with another man in the back of the car. They ran after Jana.

Jana stopped by the door and gasped. It was Sam, or what looked like him. He was leaning up against the bench in the corner with his head resting on the top, covered in blood. She couldn't move. The Techs ran past her and checked him out.

"Look at this," Bob said examining Sam closer, "the whole side of his face was smashed in."

"He's lost a lot of blood. What are his vitals," said Jerry as he watched Bob pull the stethoscope from his pocket.

"Dangerously low. Go grab the cart, I'll see what I can do." Jerry ran off to get help, leaving Jana to look on in astonishment.

"Are you alright," Bob asked. He could see she was about to faint.

"Is…is he going to make it," she asked gingerly.

"The way he fell on the bench stopped the blood from coming out as quickly. It could have been worse. He should technically be dead if he's been here for ½ hour." He cleaned his wound to see the extent of the damage and began to apply pressure. Bob arrived with help. They cautiously got Sam onto the gurney and got him up the steps. They headed for the ambulance. Immediately, they tested for blood type and got a pint going into his body. Jana arrived at the back of the ambulance to check on them.

"How are they?" she asked in a desperate voice.

"Honestly, I don't know," reported Bob. "I've never seen anything like this in this town." He turned and questioned Jana. "What the hell is going on with this house Jana?"

She shook her head, which was a mistake. "I don't know" She grabbed her head and leaned against the ambulance. Bob slid out of the ambulance.

"You need to get looked at too. Get in and we'll give you an exam at the hospital." Jana was in no mood to argue, and she wanted to know how Sam and Dean were. They helped her into the back and the ambulance sped away to Belton Hospital.

From the window, Johnny watched and a smile crept over his face.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi

It's like a have a brain fart everytime I do this. Sometimes I can figure it out, sometimes I just hit the wrong button and send. Sorry! I wanted to say thanks for the comments. You make me blush...

The funny thing about this, is that I originally started it as a Sam story. Things just kept happening, and it's now become a Dean story. He's more fun to write for anyway. Sammy will have his big moment, but you have to hang on. You will also get your answers on little Johnny at the end of this chapter.

I do need to tell you that this is long. I don't know what the proper length is for fanfic. I really appreciate you sticking with me. I'll try and post at least once a day, but life happens, so I may not get here. If you are willing to stick it out, I'm willing to post more frequently so you don't completely hate me. :DThanks again!

Caroline

**Chapter 8**

"Sam…." Dean suddenly woke and saw his brother lying next to him in the ambulance. He tried to reach for him, but the Tech stopped him.

"Easy now, you've been through a lot. You just need to calm down," Jerry found the sedative and added more to Dean's IV.

"Sam…" he said weakly and faded back to black.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

"…I don't know what you think we can do with them here. We're not equipped to take care of internal injuries to that extent and a coma victim…"

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"You are a feisty one aren't you? Just relax we're taking you where you can get some better help….."

"…Sam…."

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Jana sat in the waiting room. She had no idea where Johnny was. At this moment, she didn't think he was her nephew anymore. She was more concerned that Sam and Dean got the proper care. She had to pull a lot of strings, but she was able to move them to Research Medical Center in Kansas City. A friend of a friend said they were welcome and the bills would be figured out when all was said and done.

It had been over 24 hours since the incidents. Jana's head still pounded a little, but it was nothing compared to what Sam and Dean were going through. After a battery of tests, it was discovered that Dean needed to have his spleen removed. He also broke four ribs and had some internal bleeding. _It could have been worse._. Dean kept coming in and out of consciousness, so the doctors decided to keep him completely under sedation for 12 hours to alleviate his agitation. Every time he awoke he asked for Sam and that news would send him over the edge. If Dean could rest, he would heal.

Sam was in a coma. The brick that hit him caused severe damage to his brain. They needed to wait until the swelling rescinded before they could see the full extent. There was bleeding on the brain, and the popular theory was to drill a hole in his head and release the pressure. The problem was that they weren't sure the extent of the damage, so for the next 24 hours, he was to be kept under strict watch.

"Why is all of this happening," she said aloud without realizing it. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't help herself and jumped. Jana looked up to see Bob smiling back at her.

"Hey. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you! How are you doing?" Bob sat in the chair next to her and tried to comfort her as best he could.

"I don't know what to do Bob," she began. "I barely know these people, but they risked their lives for me, for no reason. I feel obligated to make sure they are ok." She started to cry.

"They are in the best care possible. If anyone can figure this out, the doctors here can," he said reassuringly. Bob continued with his review of the situation. "The police were on the scene shortly after we left, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. The brick was in the basement, but there were no fingerprints, and the car had Johnny's handprints, but that was from the times he played in it, right," he asked with concern in his voice. "Speaking of, where is Johnny? I didn't see him at the house."

Jana had to concoct a story quickly. "I called one of the neighbors and they are keeping him for a few days, while things settle down here." _I think Dean and Sam are rubbing off on me!_

Bob looked at her with confusion, but shrugged. "If you need anything, you know where to find me." He grabbed her hand and left the room.

Jana cringed at the thought of what was going on. Sam and Dean got the spirits out of the house, but it was clear that Johnny had been possessed and certainly had the intention of killing the boys. Where was he now? Guilt gripped her as she thought of leaving the child alone, but was he really a child? He knew about his mother's death and did nothing. He was able to connect with Sam from God knows how far away – through his dreams! This was beyond anything should could ever imagine. It was the week from hell.

A stout nurse walked over to Jana, interrupting her thought process. "Excuse me, are you with the two boys they brought in yesterday?"

Jana jumped at the chance to get out of her head and get some real answers. "Yes, can you tell me if there has been any change?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not, but I wanted to know if we could get a little more information about their cases. Do you have a few moments?"

Jana walked off with the nurse to a private office and explained what happened. The attack by the ghosts had been adjusted to a band of gang members making their way through town. Jana told the nurse how they all had been attacked separately and the extent of the injuries to the best of her knowledge. Luckily the nurse didn't know much about Peculiar and its rash of NON-violence, so it seemed to play out alright. The woman nodded and listened. When she spoke she had a soothing voice that made Jana feel at ease. She also explained some of the tests they would be performing on Sam and Dean to provide the best medical treatment possible.

There was a knock on the office door and a doctor entered. "Are you Miss McGregor," Jana nodded. "I am Dr. Alicia Stonewell. I have been monitoring Sam and Dean Jones and wanted to ask you a couple of questions."

_Jones._ That still sounded funny, but after everything that happened, there was no way to give their true identities to the hospital. The nurse took her cue and left the room. Jana again recanted her story to the doctor. "Are you sure that's what happened Miss McGregor?" Jana swallowed involuntarily. "That was an awful lot of chaos in _one_ home, in a small town like yours." Jana looked at her with a blank stare_. How would she know there was something else? Should she tell her?_

"It was just so unbelievable. The whole thing seems like a dream….."

"What seems like a dream? Is there something you're not telling me," said Dr. Stonewell prying for anything else that Jana would give her. "Any bit of information may help save their lives."

No one would believe her. "Why would they choose my sister's house," began Jana. "It was like a cruel joke, an initiation prank, to cause more pain to an already suffering family. Why?" She shook her head and fidgeted in her chair. _Did she buy it?_

The doctor looked at her and smiled. "I know. Sometimes things just aren't as they seem." She placed her hand on her shoulder. "This has been extremely stressful for you. You must remember to take care of yourself during all of this as well." The doctor got up and moved toward the door. "Why don't we set up a cot for you so you can rest? We can put it in the Jones' room if you like?" She felt a slight squeeze on her shoulder for reassurance.

"That would be nice. Thank you." Jana rose from the office feeling relieved that she hadn't been trapped. In the morning she would be able to talk to Dean about what was going on. He just needed to have a period to heal without interruption. At least she could keep an eye on them in the room. She turned back and looked at Dr. Stonewell and smiled.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

A police car pulled up in front of the arch on Gregory street. Officer Martin stepped out of the car and toward the house. He took a bee line for the backyard, just to make sure they had looked at everything. The officer went to the car involved in the incident. No signs of entry. He shone the flashlight into the front seat. Nothing. A cool breeze brushed across his face and he involuntarily shivered. He followed the car back to the garage. He saw the crush where the victim had been. The officer scratched his head at how it happened. Pieces of the car were on the ground, along with some blood. He crouched to look at it and noticed an odd smell – like rotten eggs. "Sulfur," he said aloud. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a light go on in the house. _I thought the boy was at a friend's house._

Officer Martin slowly made his way up to the back door. He drew his weapon in case there were some looters. As he approached the sliding door, he tested it to see if it was open. The frame moved easily in its track and he cautiously entered the home. There was movement upstairs, where the light had been. The prowler certainly wasn't trying to hide. Something crashed and laughter was heard. "This is the police. Come down here with your hands in the air." The officer made his way to the bottom of the staircase. He heard footsteps and raised his gun.

Down the stairs ran Johnny. He stopped just short of Officer Martin and looked at him. "Hi," he said playfully. The policeman lowered and holstered his weapon.

"Johnny? What are you doing here? I thought you were with some friends," he walked toward the boy. He cocked his head and smiled mischievously.

"Oh, I'm with my friends," he said with excitement. "Do you want to meet them?"

Outside the house, a muffled scream was heard. No neighbor would have noticed. The breeze was vigorous in the trees outside. Suddenly, the light clicked off and everything was silent.


	7. Chapter 7

I had some problem last night getting the next chapter to upload. Sorry! I did two chapters instead of one to bring you more up to speed.Chapter 10 happens to be my favorite so far. I hope you aren't displeased.

Thank you _**so **_much for all the comments. I really appreciate it. I'll try and update tonight.

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 9**

The constant noises in the hospital didn't do much for Jana. Perhaps she should have asked for a sedative as well. _How do people get any rest in here at all?_ She turned over in the cot for the 20th time, hoping to find a soft spot that allowed her some rest. She had no idea what time it was, but she knew she had been in the room for several hours. At least she could keep an eye on the two strangers who appeared in her life two days ago. Jana was anxious to talk to Dean, even if it was just for a minute to let him know what was happening – and what their new last name was. _He will be beside himself when he hears how everything went down._ He looked like hell, but would be up and around sometime soon. Dean was tucked into the sheets with bandages wrapped around his mid section. With four broken ribs, there wasn't much to do, but the added pressure to keep them in place would be a start. He also had a small incision where they removed the spleen. The MRI showed the rest of the organs had been battered, but miraculously they were not permanently damaged. His face was black and blue along with parts of his arms. She couldn't see his lower half.

Sam was another story. He lay in the bed with wires coming out from every orifice. Half his head was bandaged from the blow he took. His heartbeat seemed strong enough, but the EEG did not look hopeful. She was certainly not a doctor, but she knew that there should be more brain activity on the monitor than what was there. Somehow, he was still breathing on his own, but he was on oxygen. They would know sometime today if they could release the pressure on his brain and hopefully kick him out of the coma. Jana exhaled in frustration at the situation.

She heard a stirring noise and shot up in bed. Dean was coming to. She watched from the cot to see how far he would get. Jana didn't want to push anything quite yet. She looked to her watch. It read 5:30am. _They weren't kidding about 12 hour sedatives!_

"Sam," came a weak voice. The irritation on his vocal chords caused a cough. Dean took a breath and swore at the pain. He opened his eyes wider to absorb his surroundings. "Sam?"

Jana appeared next to him. She grabbed his hand. He looked at her confused, but was happy to see someone familiar. "Hi Dean." She grabbed a chair and pulled it along side the bed. "How are you feeling?"

He looked at her with a smart ass grin "Like I've been crushed by a car for ½ hour, and you?"

"You never stop do you? Even when things are serious." She laughed despite herself at the grim situation. Jana made sure that she angled herself so Dean could not see Sam. At least, not yet. "Listen, you have internal injuries," she began, "they had to remove your spleen, but you're going to be ok."

"But the spleen is my most favorite organ," he paused, "well second most favorite organ," he smiled and coughed again.

"Oh, and you have 4 broken ribs, so you will have to rest for a few days in order to get them to heal. That's why it hurts to cough." She offered him some water from the nightstand, which he gladly accepted. She brushed his hair and left her hand on his head. "You are very lucky. Your injuries could have been much worse."

"Yeah, I feel great. Lucky Dean Winchester, that's what they call me."

"Actually, it's Jones, Dean Jones. I had to find you a pseudonym to check you in. Try to remember ok?" Jana looked at him with sympathy. Her heart was in her throat because she knew the Sam questions were around the corner.

Dean tried to sit up and decided it was a bad idea. The pain was making him more alert than Jana wanted him to become. "Where are we anyway, and where is Sam?"

Jana took a deep breath and moved ahead. "The local hospital couldn't handle your condition, so they sent you to Research Medical Center in Kansas City." She saw Dean squirm about being in a bigger hospital. "I've already worked out the medical issues with the staff. I pulled some favors, but we'll figure out how to pay this off when it's all said and done. They know you don't have insurance. Don't worry about it."

Dean looked at her and felt a certain comfort. "Thank you," he said and closed his eyes. Jana thought she was off the hook until he suddenly came back to reality. "But Sam, where's Sam." She knew she couldn't hide it any longer. She rolled her chair out of the way and pushed the curtain back to reveal Sam in the bed next to him. Even though the pain was agonizing, he leaned forward to see his baby brother in the bed, hooked up one monitor after another. "SAM!" He struggled to get up even higher in the bed. "What the hell happened Jana? Oh God, is he….." Silence. She didn't know how to answer. Jana looked at Dean and began to cry. "No! He's going to be fine," cried Dean. "He has to be…."

"They say he's in a coma Dean. He got hit pretty bad. We almost left him at the house, but you insisted on looking for him when we got you away from the car." She smiled at him to try and give some comfort of saving him. Jana got up and went over to Sam. This was the first time she had really looked at him up close. His entire face was black and blue. There would be no way to recognize him if she hadn't seen him come out of her basement. "We found him propped against the bench downstairs, and a brick lying next to him. He was covered in blood." Jana buried her face in her hands at the thought of what she saw. "I couldn't move when I saw him. He was just….."

"But you found him and got him here. They will take care of him," said Dean confidently, trying to maneuver himself to a better position for the pain and the view.

She turned to face Dean with tears streaming down her face. "He has swelling on the brain. It is causing pressure and possibly permanent damage. The only way to relieve it is to drill a hole in his _head," _she said as she broke down again.

Dean looked to her in confusion. "A hole? What do you mean a hole?"

Jana continued to sob for a minute or so until she got it out of her system enough to continue the explanation as she knew it. "They hope to alleviate the pressure that consists mostly of blood so that his normal brain functions will return."

This comment slapped Dean hard in the face. When he heard the word _coma_ it didn't really sink in until that moment. "Do you mean, he….might be….."

"Brain dead," Jana completed his sentence with a sob. "Yes. Right now, it doesn't look too good Dean." She paused to look at Sam again. "That monitor is for brain activity. It is barely moving. And the brick fractured his skull, so there are fragments….."

"No this isn't happening!" Dean began to shake uncontrollable. "Not like this. Sam! Sam you have to snap out of this you hear me? It's an order! Sam!" Jana went to his side and sat on the bed. She held his head in her hands. "No….."

Outside the room, a figure in a long trench coat was listening to the conversation intently. This was it, this was the test. Only time would tell how it would play out.

**Chapter 10**

The doctors began to make their rounds at 7am, as per normal routine. Dr. Stonewell had apparently worked the night shift and wanted to check on her two patients before she left for the day. She strolled in alone with clipboard in hand and made her way to where Dean was sitting. Jana was dozing on the chair next to him.

"You are not supposed to be up yet Mr. Jones," she said in a scolding voice.

"Please, call me Indy." Dean couldn't resist a joke even this early. He smiled at the doctor who was in no mood to play. "What time is it anyway? I seem to be getting used to this time of day. I think I need some coffee. A soy latte should do."

"What you need is rest - Indy. I can get another sedative for you if you don't comply." She grabbed his chart and paged through it. Jana stirred and looked to the doctor. She smiled and started to get up. Dr. Stonewell waved her off and grabbed the blood pressure gauge off the back of the wall and wrapped it around Dean's arm. The prickly sensation came and went in Dean's arm as she listened to his heartbeat. "Not bad for a guy who doesn't have a spleen."

"It's his second favorite organ, you know," added Jana trying to continue the light mood. Dr. Stonewell smiled at her.

"How are you feeling Dean? And please, be serious." The doctor sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him with concern.

He glanced up at her with tears in his eyes, which he quickly brushed away as sleep. "I'm ok doc, but I don't know what to do about my brother," his voice cracked at the statement. "Is he going to be ok?" Jana noted the pain in Dean's voice.

Dr. Stonewell got up and went over to Sam. She checked his blood pressure and shone a light in his eyes. No reaction. She looked at the EEG for any signs of improvement. The same wavy line was still there indicating there was little brain activity. She felt his head and reached for the thermometer. The doctor put the instrument into Sam's ear and came back with a temperature of 101.5. An infection. She made a note on the chart to boost up his antibiotics. There would be no procedure with a fever that high. "I'm sorry. There is no change. He has a fever which means we cannot proceed with the operation. It's too risky. I'll bump up his antibiotics and hopefully that will bring us some results." She smiled at Dean hoping she could have given better news. "These things take time. Please be patient. We will do everything we can for your brother."

There was a knock at the door and an officer entered the room. Jana recognized him immediately. "Tom? What are you doing here?" She got up to greet him. She turned back to Dean. "I'm sorry, this is Tom Martin. He works in Peculiar on the force. We went to high school together." The man made a small motion of recognition.

"This is really not a good time for questions officer. This young man has been through a lot, and the other is not able to speak. Perhaps you could come back at another time…" Dr. Stonewell stood her ground about the police invading her hospital and bothering her patients when they were not in any shape to talk. In the bed behind her, the EEG monitor suddenly made a noise.

"Oh, this won't take long," he said as he pulled a gun from his belt. Jana screamed and hit the floor. The doctor did the same. Dean, ready to face death head on - again, lay in the bed and squinted his eyes waiting for the blow. As Officer Martin cocked the gun, Sam sprang to life.

"You will not hurt my children," he said as he pushed his hand toward the officer as if it were a shield. A force field-like energy erupted from his motion and the officer rocketed into the wall, falling unconscious to the floor. The gun lay harmless by his side. Sam lowered his hand and turned to Dean. He looked to Sam in astonishment. After a beat, Dean was finally able to get out, "Mom?"

Sam smiled at Dean with loving eyes, even through all the wires and bandages. He took the oxygen mask from his face. Jana peeked up from under the bed and watched Sam as he spoke. She looked on, not understanding what she was seeing. The doctor turned to face Sam as well, mouth agape. "Dean," he said in a soothing tone, "you must look out for yourselves." Sam cocked his head a manner to indicate compassion. Sam suddenly had a slightly stern tone in his voice as he addressed Dean with his mother's character. "You need to keep an eye on Sam. You need to watch your back. This is a test, and a dangerous time, for both of you." He indicated the officer on the floor by turning to him laying on the floor. Jana turned to him as well. _What just happened?_

"Mom. What is happening? What do you mean a test?" Dean pleaded with his mother as Sam looked at him. He tried to rise, but Sam put his hand up in protest. Mary did not want her son in additional pain. It was surreal to be talking to his mother, obeying his mother, through his comatose brother. This was strange even in their line of business.

"Your father is close, and they will come after you. They want you," his voice suddenly was softer. "Use everything you know. Everyone you know." Sam's eyes began to flicker. He smiled and Dean swore he saw his mother for an instant through all the bandages and bruises of his brother. "It started in Lawrence. You must be careful. I love you Dean...don't…. trust…." But she was gone. Sam fell back onto the bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for sticking with me. I'll try to post a little more frequently. I hope you are still enjoying the story. If you have any suggestions or comments I will take them happily. Does this flow right? Let me know.

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 11**

"What the hell was that," cried Jana. She picked herself up from the floor and went to Dean. The doctor recovered her composure and ran to Sam's side. The EEG indicated nothing had happened at all. She flipped a switch and printed off the last 5 minutes to see with her own eyes. The paper slowly filtered out the machine.

"I… don't understand." Dean took a breath to calm himself down. "Doc? How is Sam?" Dean was beginning to refocus on what just happened. _Who is after us? The things back at the house? _He looked at Sam, praying for Sam or his mother to continue the conversation. The doctor waited for the results of the paper.

Jana was the first to look to Tom Martin. He was gone. "Dean!" She pointed where Tom's crumpled body lay not two minutes ago.

"Well that's just great," Dean muttered under his breath to Jana. "Now we have a psycho cop running around trying to kill us. As if a 10 year old boy wasn't enough! Perfect!" Dean grabbed his chest as his ribcage was beginning to hurt from being tense.

"What time is it," asked the doctor.

Jana looked at her watch and it read 7:13. She reported her findings. The doctor looked to the EEG machine and it indicated the same. "Why do you ask," inquired Jana.

"If I am reading this right, the first brain activity from Sam happened _before_ the officer entered the room, which would indicate that he _knew_ he was coming, and was dangerous."

"How can that be? Sam is in a coma. Are you saying he could sense that Tom was evil?" Dean shot Jana a look to try and stop her from talking. The less people that knew what they did, the better, _and safer_, they would be.

Dr. Stonewell grabbed the chair and pulled up next to Dean's bed. Dean inched back and gulped. "I think it's time you tell me everything you know. I mean everything. What I just witnessed simply doesn't happen – ever." She crossed her arms and looked at him straight on.

Dean felt he didn't have a choice. She had just witnessed a bizarre event that she would have no other way to explain. _Don't…trust…_ filtered in his head, but what could he do? If he didn't trust her, she might go running to the wrong people, and things could be much worse. He took a deep breath, which was a huge mistake as pain shot through his ribcage, and began from Sam's dream. He left out the psychic attack on Sam and Johnny being 'one of them' and rounded out the story with the satchels in the walls. Through the story, Dr. Stonewell listened intently. Dean couldn't tell if she was grasping what he was telling her, but he did the best he could.

"So, what just happened here, with your brother," she asked. "You're telling me that was your mother who just channeled him? What, is he John Edward?"

The comment took Dean aback. She knew a medium! That was a good sign. "I really don't know what happened. I thought our mom was gone when we went back to Lawrence_..." it started in Lawrence_… Dean paused briefly, but made a quick recovery. "She saved Sam by destroying herself in our old house. Maybe she can talk through Sam because he's…." He didn't want to complete that thought. No one made a sound.

"Look Dean, I don't know what just happened with your brother. I don't know if this is any indication that he is getting better. All we can do is wait and hope the swelling goes down sooner rather than later. When it does, we can try the surgery and see what happens." Dr. Stonewell got up from her chair. "In the meantime, you need to rest. I know you want to protect your brother, especially in light of what just happened, but you won't do him any good if you don't get better." She turned to the door. "I can have a guard stationed at the door for extra security if you like."

Jana was first to reply "Tom was a police officer. It doesn't seem to matter. We can only trust ourselves." She leaned back in the chair, brushing her auburn hair out of her eyes. "I'll stay with them, for as long as it takes." Dean looked to her.

"Jana, I appreciate your concern but…" just then, her phone rang. She placed the receiver to her ear.

"Johnny? Where are you?" Dean could hear sobbing on the phone. Jana put the phone on speaker so they could both hear.

"Aunt Jana. What is going on? I just woke up in the house and everything is black. I'm all alone." The boy began to cry hysterically. Dean looked to her with caution.

"Johnny, are you ok? Tell me what happened," said Jana with concern in her voice.

"I don't know," he cried. "I remember Sam and Dean were here and then you were getting pizza, and…..please come home! I'm scared." The boy sounded different than he had in the past. Dean looked at Jana to relay that information.

"Johnny, it's Dean. Everything's going to be ok, alright? Your Aunt is going to come and get you." She shot Dean a look. He smiled at her and continued. "Hey dude, what's the last thing you remember."

His sniffles started to cease and the conversation became a little more focused. "I was upstairs and Officer Martin came to see me. He was in the house, he just walked right in. That's the last thing I remember."

"And then you woke up alone, this morning?" Dean was starting to put it together. It knew where Sam and Dean were, so it needed a vessel to get to them. "Do you feel ok?"

"I feel fine Dean. Where's Sam? Is he ok?" Jana and Dean looked at each other. Dean decided to make the move.

"Johnny, he's hurt. We're at the hospital. He is with the doctors and they are going to make him better," said Dean defiantly.

"He's hurt again, or still from the ghosts? Maybe I can help him?" Dean's eyes lit up. He hadn't thought about 'good Johnny' being able to help Sam. Suddenly he was filled with relief and hope. Dr. Stonewell looked on.

Dean decided to play his cards. He was an expert at poker, after all. "Don't you remember him getting hurt the second time Johnny? You were there." He held his breath for the answer.

"How did he get hurt Dean? I don't remember anything." The boy sounded like he honestly didn't know, and was very concerned. He might be the solution to this problem.

"Nevermind Johnny. Your Aunt is going to come and get you, ok. Can you be ready in..." he put his hand over the receiver, "how long does it take to get here?"

"Half an hour"

"30 minutes. We'll get you up to speed when you get here, ok?"

The boy sounded excited to be seeing the boys again. Dean hoped that he made the right choice. "Ok, I'll be ready. Bye Dean." He hung up the phone.

Jana looked to Dean. "Are you sure about this? The last time he was near you, he tried to kill you." Dr. Stonewell's ears perked up.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something? The boy tried to kill you? And what was this about getting hurt from ghosts"

Dean sighed and gave in. He told her the background of Johnny as well as the incident with Sam touching the carpet. There was little left to tell of their adventure in Peculiar. Dean then focused his attention back to Jana. "I don't think it's possessing Johnny anymore, I think it moved on to the cop. We should be ok."

Dr. Stonewell shook her head at what she was hearing. "I'm off duty. I'm going home to get some rest – just like you should. I will let the attending know that you should be looked in on every half hour."

"What is with half an hour? Why is everything half an hour? 30 minutes. It has to mean something right?" Dean went rambling on about nothing. "We were knocked out for that long, that's how long it takes to get here from Peculiar, now you want rounds every thirty minutes. Why don't you just order a pizza from Dominoes and we'll call it a day!"

"I'm sure everything will be ok," she said realizing that Dean was lashing out at anything he could think of, especially if he kept his mind off the situation at hand. "I'll be back tonight around 5 to see how things are going. If Sam is better, we'll look at scheduling the procedure." She turned to go.

"Wait, Doc," called Dean. He started to squirm a bit at his vulnerability. "Could you, you know, keep this whole thing to yourself? We don't want this to get around." She smiled back at him and pulled the EEG sheet from her jacket. She ripped it into several pieces and threw it into the garbage can.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." She turned and left the room.

"I don't like this one bit Dean. I could be gone for 2 hours! Do you know what could happen in that timeframe?"

"I honestly think we are safe. They wouldn't come back this soon. It's not their M.O." He repositioned himself in the bed. "Besides, if Johnny is really ok, he may be Sam's only hope. I'd rather take my chances with him, and then you'll know he's safe as well. It's win win really." He gave her his childish grin. She could tell he was feeling better, and hopeful. She smiled despite herself. "Have you had enough sleep to drive? I don't want you falling asleep on the road," he said uneasily.

Jana got up and went for her coat. "I'll be fine as long as you are sure you about this."

"I've done this long enough to trust my instincts, and I feel pretty good about this one."

"Ok then, I'll be back as soon as I can." She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "You're still pretty hot."

"I know, it's part of my charm," he said with a big smirk. She shook her head and walked out the door. "Excuse me," she said to someone in the hallway.

"Alone at last Sammy boy," he turned to look at his ailing brother. He boosted himself up to get a better look at Sam. Dean grabbed the water next to his bed, fondling it, trying to focus on what was going on. He began a monologue to his captive audience. "What the hell is going on? This whole thing doesn't make any sense," he began. "Why would 'Johnny' heal you only to hurt you again? They had several chances to take care of us, yet they waited until we were separated to try and finish us off. We should both be dead already. How did we survive?" Sam laid there with no reaction. He was honestly expecting him to spring to life again and spout out the words of wisdom that only his geeky brother could. Instead, he looked taut and helpless. "Sam, you have to pull through this. There is so much more here dude," his voice cracked with worry. "Did you hear mom? Well, I mean, did you, well. You know what I mean. She said this started in _Lawrence_, that we were in danger – well duh! And they were after us. This was a test. Hell, what else did she say?" He punched the bed in frustration. Dean looked up at the ceiling trying to find the right things to say. "I need you on this one Sammy. We have to do this together, so you better figure out what's going on in your head and wake up." His voice raised and anger started to come through his words. "You _promised_ Sam - just you and me. We're all we've got." Dean noticed his face was wet. He used the bed sheet to wipe it dry. He lay back on the pillow and tried to figure what his next move would be.

The figure in the hallway listened intently as well. He quickly turned the corner and headed off the floor.


	9. Chapter 9

I promised I'd try to include entriesmore quickly. Here are the next two. Let me know what you think.

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 12**

Jana didn't want to leave. It didn't feel right to leave Dean in the middle of everything that was going on. She was worried about him. He didn't ask for any of this. They were just trying to help. Now they were victims of a cruel joke. Not a joke – a nightmare. It never really dawned on her that the name of her town would envelop her life. She wasn't sure how to even function. A week ago she was mourning her _sister's_ murder, now she was involved with two strangers in a plot twist that Hitchcock would love.

She drove in a daze back to Julie's house. What would she find when she was there? Would Johnny be Johnny, or would she have to ward him off – with salt? _What was that all about?_ She took a deep breath and hit the gas pedal.

As she entered the city limits, her stomach dropped to the floor. The last time she saw the boy, he attacked her. Jana began to shake at the thought. _If I fail, what will happen to Sam and Dean?_ She watched the farmhouses sitting peacefully in the distance. Those occupants had no idea what was going on. They would sit down to a family dinner tonight and talk about how mundane their day was. _I wish_. Jana turned from Kayla to Gregory street and pulled in front of her sister's home.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

The television was on and Dean was flipping through the early morning shows. Oprah was now on and she was interviewing cancer survivors. Not exactly the daytime drama he was hoping for. He switched again and hit the Game Show Network where they were playing old reruns of _Who Wants to be a Millionaire_ with Regis. "Well, I guess it's better than Oprah." He threw the remote to the side of the bed.

He stole a quick look at Sammy. There was still no change. No one had been in to check on them since Jana left, which was fine by him. The less people, the less chance of getting his ass kicked. _Maybe Sam would rise up again and they would get a little closer to unraveling this whole thing._ Probably not.

"Dad's journal! That's what I need," cried Dean out of the blue. He tried to get up to look at his personal belongings and found he didn't get very far. His ribs wanted the rest they needed and forced him back down. "Damnit!" He tried to look in the closet and saw there was nothing there but a coat. _They wouldn't have brought it here. It's with all our gear back at the house. I'll have to call Jana to bring it_. Dean went to find his cell phone and realized that was gone too. "God damnit!" Instinctively he hit the nurses' button to try and find a way to contact Jana.

_Is that your final answa?_

"Where the hell is that nurse? I can't take much more of this idiot!" Dean heard some light footsteps outside the room and a tall, thin nurse entered. _This is more like it! _

"Can I help you with something? Are you in pain," she asked in a sweet voice with a hint of a Southern accent.

"Just the pain of not knowing you sooner." He put on the Dean charm full force and looked her up and down. She smiled at him and came into the room. He tried to sit himself up to puff up his chest, but it only prompted a coughing attack, followed by a grimace.

The nurse came to the bedside and adjusted the pillows. "Is that better?" _I have some other pillows I'd like you to adjust…_

"Yeah, thanks," he said. He looked at her up close. Shoulder length brown hair with piercing blue eyes. She was a beauty, everything he would hope for in a nurse, and then some. "Listen. There was just a woman here with me, well not _with_ me, but she brought us in. I don't have my cell phone and I need her to bring me something from her house. Ok, not _her _house, it's her _sister's_ house, but we don't have any sort of relationship or any….."

"So you need to find her phone number?" She smiled as she watched Dean struggle. She seemed to enjoy it.

He blushed at making an ass of himself. _What is wrong with me, I'm usually much smoother than that! _"Yeah, that's what I need," he stated.

She turned to go. "I'll go get the file and find it, ok?"

"Ok, and while you're at it, can you bring me back your phone number as well?" _Score, that's the ole Deany boy charm!_

The nurse looked back at him and smiled. She lifted her left hand to reveal a ring. "Not this time, but you _are_ cute!" She winked and left the room.

"Man! Why are all the hot ones taken!" He hit the bed in frustration. Even in the direst of circumstances, Dean could still pull a winning line out of his hat. He looked at Sam again and refocused. "Don't worry Sam, we'll figure this out. I promise! Once we have dad's journal, there'll be answers in there."

A few minutes passed and the nurse entered the room again with Jana's number. "Let me know if you need anything else." She left the room.

"How about a sponge bath," he called out after her, knowing he would get no response. He turned his attention to the phone and called Jana.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jana sat in her car outside the house, unable to move. It had been 25 minutes. Fear had a grip on her that wouldn't loosen. She tried to tell herself that everything would be ok. She had to get back to the hospital to keep an eye on Sam and Dean. Jana reached for the door handle and her cell phone rang. She screamed and dropped it on the floor of the car. Realizing she was overreacting, she laughed at herself and found the phone. It was from the hospital. "Hello?"

"Jana, it's Dean. Are you at the house yet?"

"Dean are you ok? What's wrong," panic started in her voice. Her heart dropped. _Why am I feeling like this?_

He realized this was very difficult for her and tried to calm her down. "I'm fine, don't worry," he said sweetly. "There's no change with Sam either, but I need you to do something for me. I need my dad's journal. It's a leather bound book with lots of notes and things in it." He stopped to try and remember where they had put the bag. "There's a chance it's in my car, but I think Sam brought it in."

"I think it was in a bag that you left by the door. I'll check when I get inside," she said with a new purpose for entering the house.

"You're still not there? Didn't you leave like an hour ago?"

She paused at the comment. "Well, I've been having some internal battles with myself about getting into the house. I'm heading in now."

"Sorry Jana," he said sympathetically. "I know this is difficult for you. I'm telling you, everything will be ok with Johnny though. You don't have anything to worry about." Dean crossed his fingers hoping that was the truth.

"I hope your instincts are right," she said as she climbed the door. "Do you want anything else while I'm here? I don't think I have the keys to your car."

_Shit, she's right. I have those in my coat pocket._ "We'll just have to hope we brought everything in. Whatever we have, we can use. Grab the bag and the journal. If it's in the car, well, call me back and I'll have to figure it out." He was hoping it wasn't in the car. He would do what he needed to, but he hated to do any damage to his baby. "Call me back." He realized he didn't know where he was. "I don't know what the room number is."

Jana adjusted the phone to her other ear so she could key into the door. "You're in room 357." She opened the door. "I'll call you back when I'm on the road."

"Ok, thanks." Dean hung up the phone. _Why did that number sound familiar? At least it wasn't room 30!_ _That would be something!_

……………………………………………………………………………………

"Johnny? Are you here?" Jana entered the house tentatively and listened for sound. She got it in the thumping footsteps running down the stairs.

"Aunt Jana," he cried as he ran into her arms. She grabbed his face and saw that he had been crying. Patches of red stained his face from the hot burning tears. This was the little boy she knew. Dean had been right. She knelt down beside him.

"Are you ok honey?" She hugged him tight and wouldn't let go. "I'm so sorry Johnny. I just didn't know…"

"Know what," he said in a muffled voice. He was still deep in her shoulder.

She pulled him out and looked him over. Jana stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. "You know what, let's talk in the car." She realized that everything would be ok. "We have to get back to Sam and Dean. They need us."

The boy's face lit up. "Awesome! What do I need to bring? Can I bring my toy army men?"

"You can bring whatever you need to, Johnny." She stood up and looked around the living room. "I have to find a few things and then we're going to ok, alright?" He tore off up the stairs.

Jana started to search the area for the bag. It finally dawned on her that it wouldn't be in plain site, so she began to look behind things. _Maybe **they** got it and destroyed it._ She did remember seeing it, or she thought she did. Her investigation took her to the door that led to the backyard and something caught her eye. The bag was shoved behind the couch and entertainment center, conveniently out of the way. She hurried to it and pulled it out. The leather clad journal lay on top, along with various instruments that she wouldn't have a clue what to do with. Of course, there was a canister of salt and some matches. She shook her head, grateful that she wouldn't have to call Dean back and disappoint him.

Jana lifted the bag and trucked it to the front door. She heard Johnny frantically throwing things into a bag and scuffling around. Realizing that she had a moment, she opened the journal and began to leaf through it. Newspaper clippings and journal entries were strewn throughout the Winchester treasure. Sketches of creatures and what she could only imagine were spells were also included. It was fascinating. She kept paging through until she found a list of contacts at the end. _That must be what Dean wants_. The names were from all over the country. _My God, they really do go everywhere!_

Johnny banged down the stairs with a little backpack filled with goodies. He also had a homemade card for Sam. He handed it to Jana:

_Get well soon Sam!_

_Your friend Johnny _

It had a hand drawn picture of their house with two stick figures holding hands with huge smiles on their faces.

Jana began to cry.

**Chapter 13**

The ride back to Kansas City couldn't go fast enough. She hit the accelerator so she could improve her time, then she thought better of it. What if Officer Martin was just looking for a reason to get her? _God, I'm getting paranoid now._

The suspense was killing her. She had to know if Johnny remembered anything about the last few days. Jana reached over and touched his head. He looked up at her and smiled. She took her deep breath and hurried forward. "Johnny, what can you tell me about… _them_? You know, the ghosts you were talking to."

"They're all gone now. They were in the house when you were supposed to go for pizza and then they disappeared." He reached down and pulled out some army men.

She put her hand back on the steering wheel. "What did they tell you…why did they ask you to contact Sam and Dean?"

"They needed them _here_ and they said I was special. That only I could get them here." He continued to make shooting noises with the army men. "Mommy wasn't home and I had no one to play with. They played with me and showed me how to do things. They said mommy was mean to not play with me and she would get in trouble….." Johnny suddenly realized what everything meant. "I knew they.." he started to cry finally able to grieve his mother for the first time. "She's gone Aunt Jana. They killed her and she's gone." Jana pulled to the side of the road and held the boy. They cried together.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

"I can't watch another show! I can't stand Judge Judy. Don't you people have Scifi in this hospital!" Dean was getting agitated. He hadn't heard from Jana. He was going stir crazy with all the scenarios in his mind. Dean stomach sank into the bed. He had made the right call sending her to get Johnny, didn't he? _Maybe I'll call her just to make sure_. He reached for the number that the hot nurse gave him and picked up the phone. It rang four times and went to voice mail. _Shit!_ He hung up and tried it again. No answer. Dean slammed the phone down and swung a leg over the bed. "Ahhhh." He got the other foot on the floor and he started to get up.

"Where the hell do you think you're going," asked a voice from the doorway.

"Oh MAN, you scared the crap out of me," he said in a relieved voice. "Jana what took you so long?"

She looked him over and had to chuckle. He was dressed in a hospital gown, half exposed trying to get out of bed. "Were you coming to rescue me," she said with a snide grin. "My hero!" Jana went to him to try and straighten him up a little. She brought the bag in and placed it on the bed since Dean was upright. She pulled the gown back in place. "It's only 11:30. It's not like I was gone all day." She couldn't help but sneak a peek at his backside. Jana nodded to herself.

"Dean!" Johnny came running into the room and started right for him.

"Whoa there little man. You might kill me if you do that." _Oh, that was apropos wasn't it?_ "Hey, are you ok?"

"Yeah, we're fine," he indicated to Jana. "She told me what was up. I didn't know that you were sick too." He went and gave Dean a soft hug. He expected to feel some sort of healing going on, but he felt nothing. Dean patted him on the head.

Johnny turned around and looked at Sam. He very bravely made his way to the bedside. "I made you a card Sam." There was no response. "Should I read it to you?" Johnny pulled the card from his backpack. "Here's a picture of you and me in front of the house. It says _Get well soon Sam! Your friend Johnny." _He placed the card on the table next to Sam's bed. He looked back at Jana, trying to decide what to do. Johnny had a definite understanding of Sam being hurt, but seeing him in person with the bruises on his face and not responding was very unsettling for him. She nudged him forward and Johnny climbed onto the bed and went under Sam's arm. He lay there with him for a few moments. Dean held his breath as he sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Sam to come to, but nothing happened. Jana just watched.

Moments went by and there was no reaction from Sam. "It's not working! Why isn't it working," cried Dean. "What is going on Johnny?"

Johnny turned back to Dean with questioning eyes. "What isn't working Dean? What do you mean?"

"Back at the house, when you healed Sam. You know, after the ghosts attacked him," his voice broke and he was starting to panic. "Can't you….do that again?"

Johnny snuggled into Sam. "I didn't do that Dean. I never healed him. _They_ did it." He put the blankets over his torso. "I only called to him in his dreams. They showed me how make him better because they said it wasn't the right time." He turned to look at Dean "What does that mean? What wasn't the right time?" Jana muffled her sobs.

Dean was determined to get up from the bed. As soon as he rose, he knew he would falter. Jana rushed to his side. He needed to make it to the other bed to see Sam. He stumbled there, with all his might, struggling through the pain. This was the first good look he had at him. Johnny looked up at Dean with his big eyes, realizing what he wanted him to do and that he couldn't do it. "Johnny….do you…..remember what it felt like…..how to heal?" He looked at his brother and realized this could really be the end. "Isn't there something you can do, to help him?" Jana tightened her grip on Dean as she felt his resistance going. Johnny shook his head and started to cry.

"You need to go back to bed Dean. This isn't healthy for you to be up," said Jana. She tried to move him backwards. "Here let me help you…"

"No! I need to see him. I need to see Sammy." He stumbled to the bed and fell into it, catching himself on the wall. The look of anguish from the pain he was feeling both in his ribs and in his heart was unbearable to watch.

"Dean…"

"Leave me alone. Just…" he couldn't finish the sentence. Johnny crawled out from Sam's arm and ran to Jana. As Dean propped himself against the wall, Jana went to grab the chair she sat in earlier. She brought it to Dean and helped him sit. He struggled into it and pushed her away. Jana took Johnny's hand. She was about to say something but realized there was nothing that would comfort him. Jana and Johnny left the room and made their way into a visitor's bathroom across the hallway. They went inside to clean themselves up.

"Sammy…no…" Dean put his head on the pillow. His hand reached for Sam's. It was cool and unmoving. He couldn't feel a heartbeat. There was nothing. No life, even though he _was_ still alive. _What can I do? Who can help you Sammy?_ "I thought Johnny was the answer Sammy, I thought I could make things right." Footsteps were heard outside the room and a slight knock. Dean pushed back his feelings. "Can you give me a minute, I need some time with my brother…"

The EEG machine beeped.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry, I've been trying to get this up for hours. It finally worked! Thanks for your patience!

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 14**

His stomach fell. _Sam?_ He raised his head slowly and looked to the monitor, then to his brother. It was still the same wavy line and he still looked awful. Had he just imagined the beep? Dean turned to look at his visitor.

"Alone at last." Dean's heartthrob nurse walked back into the room. She carried shampoo and soap. "You said you wanted a sponge bath, didn't you," she said with an eager smile. She looked him up and down in a way that made him get the chills. "You aren't supposed to be out of bed, by the way. Why don't you get back in and we can get you cleaned up."

Dean was conflicted. He began to flush. His head said something was wrong with the situation, but to get a sponge bath from the likes of her was a treat he wouldn't want to pass up. He decided it was best to obey_. Play along._ Dean rose from the chair and the nurse helped him back to the bed.

She used the controls on the side of the bed and raised it to the highest position. He watched her as she lowered her body to make the adjustments. "Why don't you lean back onto the bed, then we don't have to worry about getting everything wet." _Oh why does she have to talk like that…_

Jana walked back into the room as he was sitting back on the bed. She looked at the beautiful nurse almost in a kneeling position next to Dean and started to stumble for words. "Oh, I'll come back in a bit. I didn't realize that you were, ah, getting treatment." For the first time, she seemed uncomfortable. She grabbed a few items around the room. _Is she jealous?_ "Johnny and I will go and grab some food in the cafeteria." She quickly hurried out without waiting for a reply. Dean opened his mouth to answer, but she was gone.

The nurse went to the sink and got some hot water for the tub. "Is that your girlfriend," she called from the bathroom.

_Girlfriend? I thought we already discussed that_. "No, it's that friend I was telling you about." The words left his mouth, but he thought them over_. Girlfriend. It never really dawned on me. She has been a rock through this whole thing. _His thoughts were interrupted by the nurse coming out of the bathroom. She was amazingly beautiful, there was no doubt. Jana quickly fled from his mind. The nurse put the tub on the rolling table and brought it to where Dean was. She sat on the edge of the bed.

"Let's take that hospital gown off." He tensed at her touch and his stomach was in knots. She unbuttoned the gown and let it fall to the bed. Dean's ribs were wrapped with the bandages. She caressed them softly but decided that they would stay on. "We're just going to do your head." _Oh God don't say things like that to me._ "They will come to check your ribs later and will change any bandages then. No sense in making you more uncomfortable."

"Oh sweetheart, you can make me uncomfortable anytime." He gave her the devilish grin. The nurse dipped her hands into the water and checked it for temperature. She let it fall gently back into the tub, teasing Dean with the impending action. He felt his temperature rise. She took a handful of water and started to get his hair wet. It was so seductive. The warmth of the water and smell of her perfume was almost too much for Dean. "If I only had my spleen…" She laughed quietly.

She continued to stroke his head. "Just relax, it will be over soon." Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head forward as she directed him. She had a touch that pacified him. He got lost in her warmth. Her hand stopped caressing his head and Dean heard her go for the shampoo. In that instant, Sam sprang to life again in unison with the EEG monitor. Dean broke from his trance to see the nurse standing over him with a pair of scissors ready to plunge into his neck. He threw the tub into her with his limited strength and she stumbled back. Sam's hand rose and she flew a short distance to the wall.

"Wait, don't knock her out," Dean yelled at Sam like it was normal for him to do these things. He stole a glance at his brother, or what looked like his brother. He was sitting in an unnatural position in the bed with a blank look of concentration on his face, even through the oxygen mask. "I think that's how the cop got away," Dean continued catching himself. "We need to get the demon out of her and destroy it." He rose from the bed putting his gown quickly on and cursing himself at how stupid he was for falling for the nurse. He wiped the now cool water that was dripping from his eyes. The nurse struggled against the invisible force. She was unable to make a sound.

Dean went to the door as fast as his ribcage would allow. His instincts were to check the hallway to make sure that no one had heard the scuffle. All clear. He shut the door quickly. They didn't need any more people in here. "Sam?" Dean turned to look at his brother. Mysteriously, he was out of bed, his tall presence exuding an energy that Dean couldn't explain. All the wires attached to him were off and the EEG monitor was shut down. _No time to think about it._ "Ok, rock and roll."

Sam ambled forward to the nurse. She began to struggle to no avail. The demon looked Sam in the eyes asit realized the possession of this body would soon be over. Unexpectedly she found a voice and spat words at them. "You think you will stop me? Us? We are everywhere." She sneered with venom. "You are meaningless. They will come for you. The time is near. You two are pawns in the game…"

Dean suddenly remembered the bathroom across the hallway. That would be a better place for an exorcism than their room. "Sam, there's a bathroom over there. It's less conspicuous. We can tie her up, do the deed and not make a mess." Satisfied with his solution, Dean went for the bag that Jana brought and found rope. In the hallway, loud thumping noises were heard. Dean turned toward the door. A moment later, Johnny barreled into the room followed closely by Jana.

"See! I told you" cried Johnny excitedly. "I told you Sam was awake." Sam stood eye to eye with the demon and did not flinch at their arrival. Jana looked him over as Johnny bounced up and down.

"Oh crap, not again," said Jana. "What hap…"

"No time to explain," Dean said, cutting her off. "I need you to tie her up – hands and feet. I can't really reach." He indicated to his ribs. Without hesitation, Jana did as she was told. The rope found its way easily into Jana's hands and she realized she had pleasure in tying the woman up. At her feet, Johnny wrapped the rope around several times so she couldn't move. Dean found tape for her mouth. If this was going to work, all the stops had to be pulled. "Now, we are going to bring her across the way to that bathroom, but we'll need a distraction." Dean looked at Johnny.

"I can do that," he said as he started out the door.

"Wait! We need to get this all together," Dean directed. "Jana, you need to come with us across the way. Grab the journal. There has to be something in there that we can use." She nodded and grabbed the leather book. "Johnny, keep them away from this area for as long as you can, got it? No one can come down here for at least 15 minutes."

"Got it! Can I go now?" Dean nodded. Johnny looked at Sam then sprinted down the hall.

Jana glanced to Sam as well. She looked at the towering figure, not knowing who he was. He seemed to be in a trance, a mental mind lock with the demon. "Sam," she called gingerly to him. "Sam, are you alright?" A tear fell down her face. "Dean, what are we going to do about Sam…"

"At the moment, there is nothing we can do, but I have a feeling he knows his job. Let's go." They cracked open the door. Dean motioned for Jana to get the bathroom open. She slid across the hall, opened it and looked for signs of life. She motioned the coast was clear. Dean braced himself for the difficult task at hand. He grabbed the nurse and started to move her. Dean looked at Sam who was following them across the way. It appeared that he was moving her for them.

They got into the bathroom and Jana pushed the woman rather hard on to the toilet and hurried the boys in. "Next time Dean, use your head before you fall for the pretty face," she scolded as she adjusted the woman. Dean wanted to comment but knew she was right. He quickly entered the space and locked the door. Johnny could be heard in the distance laughing and playing with his captive audience.

Dean looked to Sam who inched his way to the nurse who twisted trying to break free. She could no longer speak, but her look said everything. The temperature in the room began to rise in unison with her temperament. Something fell from a shelf in the bathroom. Sam raised his hand and she stopped struggling. They locked eyes again and the demon knew it was the end. She used whatever energy she had left to distract. The lights flicked on and off briefly and the room was becoming unbearable.

"_Crein dol bodhaig bith ni fill. CREIN DOL BODHAIG BITH NI FILL!"_ Sam called as he touched the demon's head with his hand.

Dean put aside his father's journal. "I guess I didn't need this after all," he said to Jana who looked on at the scene in front of her in awe. The nurse's back arched as the demon struggled to stay inside. The lights began again and Jana and Dean stepped as far back as the tiny room would allow. Sam raised his hand from her head and a white object started to emerge.

"_**CREIN DOL BODHAIG BITH NI FILL,"** _the demon rose from the young woman and hovered in the air. Beads of sweat poured from Sam as he continued to chant. Dean wiped his brow as well and the nurse passed out. Jana made sure she didn't fall to the ground. The white orb lingered as long as it could to try and fight. It made a swipe towards Sam, then in its final approach went after Dean to no avail. "_**CREIN DOL BODHAIG BITH NI FILL,**" _shouted Sam and the demon dissipated into thin air. The lights came back and the temperature in the room started to drop.

"Yeah, baby," cried Dean. "We got your mofo ass! Woohoo!" He turned to Sam who was still finishing the chant under his breath for final clearance. Jana smiled at Dean and looked to Sam who stood in his daze, finishing his job. Dean went and hugged Sam who went limp in his arms. He couldn't hold on and Jana rushed to their aid. Dean howled out in pain and Sam and Dean hit the floor.

Note: I looked online for a translation for "you will leave this earth and never return" and what you read above was my pathetic attempt at translation. If anyone does actually know the appropriate Celtic words for this phrase, it would be much appreciated. Thanks for your imagination…. :D

**Chapter 15**

"No, Sammy, no. You were right here," he cradled his brother through his pain. "Come back." Jana crouched down next to them.

"Dean. Dean, we need to go." Dean wasn't listening. He was so close to having him back. Jana put her hand on his cheek and raised his face. Tears and sweat were flowing from his eyes and down his face. The loss was too much for him. _He loves him so much_. "What are we going to do with the nurse," she asked to try and get him back to reality. "Should we leave her here?"

He didn't want to move on. He wanted to stay with his brother, but he knew that it would do them no good. Dean looked to Jana and found her strength. She was amazing, really. With everything that she had been through in the last week, she was telling _him_ to pick it up. "No," he said coming out of his sorrow, "I think we should leave Sam here and call the orderly." He propped Sam up on the wall and struggled to get himself off the ground. Jana got up first and assisted Dean. "We need to get the tape and ropes off her and move her." His head was clearing up and the plan came into action.

Together, they untied the nurse and got any evidence away from her. Jana slowly opened the door and ran across the way to the room. She put the ropes and the journal into Dean's bag and hid it in the closet. Jana looked around the corner and there were a few empty chairs in a waiting area. She entered the bathroom again. "Ok, the bag is away. There are some chairs in the hallway. If I can get her over there, we can make it look like she is taking a nap." She went for the nurse.

"How the hell are you going to do that?"

"What do you mean," she looked back at him as she got the woman to her feet. "I can bench press 150 pounds. I think I can drag a woman to a chair," she said as she showed her annoyance at his lack of enthusiasm. He looked at her figure again."You need to check the hall to make sure I have a minute or so." Dean started to argue, but realized there was no point. He tried to clear a path around Sam for her and peeked out the door.

Down the hall, Johnny was still entertaining the staff. He caught his eye and Dean told him to stretch it out. He got the cue and started doing a dance to keep the nurses laughing. Dean looked around the corner and didn't see anyone else around. He motioned for Jana to drag the nurse out. Skillfully, she made her way out of the bathroom. Dean grabbed the other side and assisted the best he could. They got her into a chair around the corner and placed her in a position that made her look like she was sleeping.

"You go back to bed. Pretend you are asleep," Jana ordered, suddenly in charge. "I'll call the orderly and tell them that I found Sam in the bathroom." He nodded, not wanting to argue anymore and headed to the room. Getting into bed was exactly what he needed to do. She went back to the bathroom to see if there were any signs of what happened. Jana was satisfied with the results and headed into room 357.

Dean was sitting on the bed fooling with the contraptions. It was still in the upright position. Jana got Dean under the covers and lowered him slowly down so it would be more comfortable than a quick shot down. She ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel to wipe him off. His hair was still wet from the bath and it was mixed with his sweat. She scrubbed his head and tried to get as much water extracted as possible. Then Jana got the water tub and the TV table out of the way, pulled up his blankets and gave him a thumbs up. He turned over and tried to look relaxed in the bed. His heart was pounding a mile a minute.

Jana left the room and went to get Johnny. "I thought you were in the room with Sam and Dean," she said as approached her nephew. "You just came right down here and tried to be a show off didn't you."

He was a smart enough 10 year old to pick up on her cue. "I wanted them to see the army guys and I got to sing for them. Can we go see them now," he asked with a big smile.

"He was no trouble at all Miss. Johnny is really quite entertaining. He's the most excitement we've had around here in a while." The nurses nodded in agreement and patted Johnny on the head. One of them found some treats and gave one to him as a thank you. He waved goodbye and they headed down the hall to the room. Jana grabbed Johnny's hand and squeezed it. They entered the room and a scream was heard.

Several of the nurses came running down to the room. "Where's Sam? Where did he go? Dean, did you see anything? Where's Sam?"

Dean shot up in bed at the scream, feigning his drowsiness. "Sam! SAM! Where's my brother. Oh God. I didn't hear anything."

The nurses began to panic. Where could a coma patient go? One ran out into the hall when she noticed the light in the bathroom. She opened the door. "In here," she shouted. Jana followed suit and left the room. Johnny stayed behind with Dean.

"You did great little man," he high fived the boy as he sat on the corner of Dean's bed.

Across the hall, the nurses piled into the bathroom to get a look at Sam.

"How did he get here?"

"What the hell"

"Is he ok?"

Jana looked in on him. "Sam! How… What are we going to do?"

The nurses were still shell shocked by the experience. "Go get a gurney and we'll get him back into the bed and check his vitals." A short, blonde nurse complied and ran the other way. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the nurse sitting on the chair, sleeping.

"Susan? What are you doing? Get up" She went over to the woman and checked her. She realized she wasn't sleeping and took her pulse. "Hey! Someone. Susan is out too! What's going on here?" Another nurse came to look at Susan. She ran off to the nurse's station. The blonde nurse continued her journey to get the gurney.

In the bathroom, two orderlies were looking over Sam while Jana watched. "Is he going to be ok? Well, I mean, from this? How did he get here?"

"WHERE'S MY BROTHER," shouted Dean from the room. He looked at Johnny and winked.

"I'll go check on Dean," said Jana as she went across the hallway. "EVERYTHING'S GOING TO BE FINE. DON'T WORRY," she said extra loud so they could hear here. She went over to Dean. The nurses continued to scurry about like worker bees trying to resolve the issue. "I can't believe we just pulled this off," Jana said to Dean shaking her head. "They found the nurse and are taking care of her, and Sam is on his way back to the room. I think we can breathe a sigh of relief." She went to Johnny and kissed the top of his head. "You were amazing young man! Who knew you were such a little show-off!" They all got a little chuckle out of the situation.

Moments later, Sam was being wheeled back into the bed. The reality of the situation came back to punch Dean in the stomach. His heart sank as three orderlies got him back into bed and hooked up to the machine. "Is he ok," asked Dean looking on eagerly for signs of life. _Please…_

"Man, I don't know what the hell happened, but your brother is something else! You didn't hear anything at all," the man inquired of Dean as they continued their duties.

"I wish I knew what happened. I had finally fallen asleep after Jana went to get Johnny. I think it was Regis that did it. I must have needed it." He looked the man in the face and then looked to Sam as they got him into the bed. "Has there been any change," he asked hopefully.

The other nurses continued to administer the IV and hook the oxygen and monitors back up to Sam. One grabbed the thermometer and took Sam's temperature. "99! That's a lot better than what he had before. That's encouraging." _Why would his temperature be down?_ They continued to work on him. Finally the EEG was ready to go. They flipped the switch and Dean waited with anticipation. His heart was in this throat. The wavy line returned at its normal pace and Dean and Jana looked at each other.

"What the hell! Why isn't he better," screamed Dean. Jana grabbed his hand and turned away from Sam. Dean was beside himself with worry and Jana couldn't do anything to help him. Johnny continued to look at Sam, waiting for something else to happen. Suddenly the line added a little life to its step. Dean turned back at the increased beep. "Wow, did I do that? What does it mean?"

The nurse checked his stats. "He's still in a coma, but there is more brain activity than there was. This is a good sign. I'm going to page the doctor and let her know the news." They turned to leave the room. Jana wouldn't let go of Dean's hand and Johnny ran over to Sam.

"I knew you'd come back Sam."

Dean was absorbing all the information at once. His mind was racing, trying to find a solution. Johnny wasn't able to help, even though there was a definite connection there. There had to be someone, somewhere. _Dad is useless. We could both be dead and he wouldn't show up._

Jana felt the change in Dean's demeanor. She looked at him and he smiled. "Would you guys mind giving me a minute, I need to make a phone call." Dean wiped his face. Jana went to the bag and found his cell phone. She handed it to Dean and took Johnny's hand. They left the room closing the door behind them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 16**

Dean, Jana and Johnny hung out in the room all afternoon. Johnny was off in the corner under the window taking a nap. He was curled up with a pillow and blanket with his army men scattered about. Jana made herself comfortable in the chair next to Dean and the two of them were watching Jeopardy. Neither really paid attention. They knew that Dr. Stonewell would be returning in the evening after 5 and they could discuss what happened during the day. Dean was now hopeful that things were heading in the right direction.

They heard a knock on the door and Dr. Stonewell entered. She looked more rested than the day before, but still a little tired. Dean was elated to see her. "Hi Doc! You're early! We weren't expecting you for another hour or so."

She entered the room and looked around. "I see you have a new guest." She indicated to the sleeping boy on the floor. "I got the page around 1 about Sam being found in the bathroom. What the hell happened?"

Dean told her to sit down and he reenacted the whole story with interjections from Jana. They explained how the nurse tried to kill Dean and somehow Sam knew, again. Jana piped in that Sam was speaking foreign tongues and tossing people around. They told of their _Mission Impossible_ experience getting the nurse into the hallway and using Johnny as a distraction. When they were done the doctor looked at them in awe.

"How the hell did you manage to do all that without hurting yourself? Let me see your stitches," she demanded. Dean sheepishly obeyed and let his robe open. Jana couldn't help but look on. Dr. Stonewell grabbed the scissors that had almost done him in earlier and cut the bandages from his ribs and pulled the one over the incision. He shuddered. It had blood on it. "THIS is what I'm talking about! You can't be doing things like this Dean. You aren't going to heal if you keep trying to be Superman!" She checked his ribcage for soreness. He tried his best to mask his pain, but she wasn't buying it. "I'll get you stronger pain medicine so you can relax." She could feel the heat coming out of his skin. "I bet you have a fever too. Why didn't you listen to me?"

He looked up at her. "Well, I didn't really have a choice when people started shooting at me and trying to stab me with scissors. I promise I'll be better." She grabbed the thermometer from the wall and stuck it in his mouth. It beeped and she looked at it. "103! That's it, no more activity for you AT ALL!" He looked at her to protest, but he knew it was a moot point. He put his robe back on and leaned into the bed.

Dr. Stonewell went over to Sam. She also took his temperature and found it was still 99. She took a look at the bandages on his face which also had some blood stains and gently removed them. Dean tried to look on, but she used her body to stop his attempts. She felt around and saw that the swelling had definitely gone down, which seemed amazing. The doctor glanced at the EEG monitor and noticed there was more brain activity than before. She turned to address Dean.

"There is definite improvement," she commented as she smiled at Dean. "I have no way to explain how it happened, but it did. I feel pretty confident that we can do the surgery." She walked over and retrieved his chart. "I'm going to order a CT scan now and if everything looks good, we'll do the procedure in the morning. Hopefully that will relieve the pressure and we'll be talking to Sam again – in English!"

Jana's eyes filled with tears at the thought of bringing Sam back from the dead. Dean was flabbergasted at the news and simply nodded back. Dr. Stonewell smiled at both of them and walked to the door. "Someone should be here in ½ an hour to come get him," she said as she winked at Dean and left the room.

"Half an hour!"

**Chapter 17**

The clock slowly rolled by. Jana and Dean were getting bored with the TV and Johnny decided to go around the corner to play in the chair area. He couldn't take much more of the silence in the room, so he thought he would make some new friends in the hallway. There were lots of passersby and a few people who stopped to say hello to the boy.

6:30 came and finally there was a knock on the door. It was the technicians ready to take Sam for the CT scan. They rolled the cart into the room and started to unhook the contraptions that were attached to Sam. Dean started to get anxious and Jana sensed his mood. The doctor made it clear that Dean was not to leave the room. He wanted to go with Sam, to be there for him, but he knew she would never agree.

"I'll go with him Dean. Johnny and I will. We can wait and if anything comes up ahead of time I'll send Johnny to come tell you." _It's like she's reading my mind_. They kept getting everything in place for the move as he looked at Jana.

"Ok. Thanks."

Sam was on the cart getting ready to roll when Dr. Stonewell entered the room. She looked at the apprehensive Dean and smiled. "Don't worry, we'll take good care of him. This test shouldn't take too long. He'll be back up here with you…"

"Don't say it," Dean interjected.

"I was going to say in no time at all." She chuckled and their new inside joke. "I couldn't say 30 minutes because in hospital lingo that means 4 hours!" She went to Dean and looked him over. "He's going to be ok. I have a good feeling about this. This is the next step of your journey." The doctor took Dean's temperature quickly, to solidify his staying in the room. "101.5. Better, but not good enough." The technician wheeled Sam into the hallway where Johnny met them.

"We'll be back as soon as we can. Hang in there, ok?" Jana looked at him with concern.

"Yeah, hanging," he said as he reached for the remote and starting flipping channels. Her gaze stayed on him a minute more. They left the room and closed the door to a small crack.

Dean was not a patient man, especially when it came to his brother. _What the hell is doing this to him? I know he was injured, but why is he channeling things now? This is so hard to believe. It just doesn't make sense._

"Maybe it's because you don't want to believe it could happen to him," called a voice from the door.

Dean's face lit up at the entrance of his guest. Through the door walked Missouri Mosely, a friend of their father's, and now of Sam and Dean, from way back. Missouri was a psychic / mind reader and could sense energies. She helped to cleanse their childhood home from the evil that was residing there. The satchels that the boys carried and used to get the spirits out of Julie Davis' house were the result of Missouri's teaching.

"Boy, what happened to you! You look like you been run over by a train!" She entered the room and came to his side. She touched his face and he suddenly felt comforted. He knew he made the right call. She smiled at him and grabbed the chair along side his bed. "Did you eat? You look like hell." Her way of caring for Dean seemed to come in little jibes. She loved him as her own and wouldn't trade him for the world. Neither of the boys.

"Thanks for coming Missouri, I just don't…" he couldn't go on.

"I know baby. It's going to be alright though. Good thing you weren't too far away or I wouldn't have made it. I got here in 45 minutes, so that was pretty good time," she said as she made herself comfortable. " We are going to work through this together and figure out what's happening to your brother."

The truth was she knew this day was coming, or at least something like this. Missouri could sense Sam's powers back in Lawrence. Sam pleaded with her for answers and she kept her mouth shut. She also hid the fact that their father was just steps away from them. _How could I do that to them?_ There was still guilt about lying to the boys. She would help them figure this out.

Dean had filled Missouri in on the goings on at the house. He explained how the dream brought them there and the possession of little Johnny, also how Sam was lured to the evil in the dining room and what it did to him. Dean wanted to know if Johnny was 100 cured. Missouri would be able to clear that up with her skills. The question that nagged Dean the most was why they chose to _heal_ Sam only to try and kill him again. What was the 'test' they must endure, and why?

Their conversation continued with the details that Dean forgot to tell her on the phone, including the incantation that Sam chanted and the general craziness of the day. Missouri listened intently and felt the anguish that Dean did. She saw in his soul a man with power of his own right, with the weakness of his love for his family. It was ripping him apart, and she needed to make the pain go away.

Missouri sighed and looked at his weary face. She struggled with the pleasantries of the conversation. Finally she let everything go. "Dean, I can't take it any longer," she said suddenly and got up from her chair. She began to pace around the room, unable to start her sentence. Then it came. "There are things I know, and I have to tell you."

Dean looked at her awestruck at the change in behavior from their conversation. "Tell me what?" He was intrigued by her mood swing.

"Back in Lawrence, Sam confided in me that he didn't understand what was happening to him. We talked about how he could sense the other spirit when I couldn't," she paused to look at Dean. "He was scared, Dean. Really scared, and I knew that something else was happening to him, but I didn't feel it was my place," she trailed off. It felt like she was at a confessional telling Dean the sins of her past in regards to his family. "There was an energy in him that I've never felt before. I couldn't really explain it to him, so I used it as my out. What's worse was that I lied to both of you." She continued her pace and headed toward the window. The sky was dark but the lights from the parking lot lit up the visitors coming to and fro. All sorts of people were entering the facility; families, people in suits and trench coats, nurses and doctors. She got lost following one person through the doors, but shook it off. Missouri turned back to Dean.

"You lied? About what," he tried to sit up in bed without hurting himself. He turned the TV off to have full attention.

"Your father," she started. "I _had_ been in contact with your father. He was at my house when you were in Lawrence. He made me swear not to tell you." Her eyes were filled with tears and she could hear the angry thoughts coming from Dean. "I can hear what your thinking Dean, please don't be angry with me. John said it was for your protection." She tried to make the mood a little lighter. "He was _so_ proud of you the day you saved Jenny and her children. He wanted to see you, but he said he needed to learn the truth first."

"The _truth?_ You mean after I called him and _begged_ him to come and help, he sat by and did nothing?" Dean was getting flush under his shirt and he could feel the anger rising in him. "We almost died in our old house! If it wouldn't have been for mom, Sam would be…. who knows what they had in mind for him! We risked our lives for strangers and he did _nothing!"_

"Dean, you have to understand. This has been your father's quest for 22 years. He felt that he was close to finding answers." She came back from the window, sat next to him and grabbed his hand. "In his travels, he has learned it is you two that this revolves around. That's why he left you the journal. _You_ are the answer; Sam and Dean - together." He looked at her dumbfounded. He tried to answer but she put her finger to his lips. "Look at what you have done. You have faced death and cheated it so many times. Triumphed in the face of adversity. Why do you think that is Dean? Because you were chosen." She squeezed his hand and he felt a jolt go through him. "Lawrence was a test. Your father knew that the house was acting up again. And if Sam…..well if Sam was really coming into his powers that the house would call back to him, through his dreams. And it did."

"What powers? What are you talking about?" Dean was getting distressed and a little scared at this prospect. "Sam has nightmares that come true. Now you're telling me he can sense spirits, well crap, and channel them too now I guess. What the hell else can he do?" Dean didn't like any of this stuff hitting this close to home.

"Your father didn't tell me, but it also appears that he can create force fields for protection, according to you. Maybe he has telekinesis? I honestly don't know." Missouri knew how disturbing this information was to Dean. The boys went around and took care of things that had powers like this. Now Sam was becoming one of them.

"I don't know if I can handle this. I was just getting a grip on the whole nightmare thing, now I have to deal with all this other crap? Why? Why is this happening," Dean struggled with his thoughts. How would this affect their work?

"Dean, we all have our paths that we must follow, and yours leads to evil and its destruction." She turned to look at the door, then back to Dean. "All I know is that something has awakened, and it is after you. I think Sam was injured the _way_ he was for a reason. That this coma is pulling out the latent powers that he has. It's the only thing that makes sense." She got up and looked out into the hallway. Nothing. Dean looked quizzically at her and she shook him off. "They must _want_ Sam to develop his powers or they would have let him die. They know that you are the headstrong of the two and that this bond with your brother, this heartache you have, is what drives you. That means you are in more danger than you know."

"But don't I get any superpowers? That doesn't seem fair does it?" Dean tried to make light of the situation, but Missouri wanted nothing to do with it.

"Boy, you're the one who gets freaked out by people with powers, now you want them? Geez! Power is not about having premonitions or being able to move things, it's about who you are. What you believe." She came in and sat next to him on the bed. "Your power is your strength, your reliability, your love for humankind. Not to mention your stubbornness. You are street smart and have your own true instincts that tell you what is right and wrong. Your superpower is what is here." She reached and touched his heart. "This is your strongest ally, and you will have to make hard choices in the next weeks and months. Follow what you know, and what you believe and you will succeed."

The door creaked open and they rolled Sam back in on the cart. Jana and Johnny followed behind. They saw the stranger in the room and Jana instinctively knew this was someone from the leather journal. They said nothing and went off to the corner of the room, letting the two of them be. Missouri looked to Sam and watched him come in. She opened her mind to see if she could reach him. That was Dean's plan all along, why he called her. Her back was to Dean as she continued to focus on Sam. It seemed like an eternity as he looked to Missouri for any signs. She turned slowly to Dean and shook her head. She heard nothing from Sam.


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry, I meant to add comments to the last entries. Everytime I think I have this thing licked, I screw up again. I guess you can't teach an old dog... well, let's not go there.

Thank you for your comments! I would like to say, for the record, that I never intended this to be a love story. There are hints and allegations, but I can promise you that Dean will not settle down with Jana! The story just kind of grew as subplotB as I was writing it. No worries, just a little added fun.

I loved Missouri from her introduction to the show (plus I love the actress) and knew that she would have to be in this story. Johnny was actually not in my original story. (Did I mention that this idea came from a dream? I can't remember) This all worked backwards. I added Johnny at the beginning and realized that he could be a key element to making the story even more interesting. I hope you agree. For the avid watchers of the show, I have really tried to incorporate bits from other episodes to try and tie it together. I have, certainly, taken some leaps that I hope you do not get angry about.

Thanks again!

Caroline

**Chapter 18**

Dr. Stonewell bounded in the door with vigor in her step. She was obviously pleased with the results. She stopped short at all the people that suddenly appeared in the room. The doctor looked to Dean and smiled. "Dean, can we have a moment, or are you comfortable talking in front of all these people," she asked before she proceeded. The technicians took their cue, finished their hook ups and walked out the door.

Dean watched the techs leave. "Definitely. Not a problem. Please doc, what happened," said Dean nervously. Missouri looked around at the folk in the room and started to do her reads.

"I have scheduled the surgery for 6am tomorrow. I don't see any reason why we cannot proceed." She pulled out the chart and went over to Dean. She tried to explain the scenario in simple terms to him. "This area here is the problem spot. The surgeon will drill a small hole and everything that is adding the pressure _here_ should be relieved." Dr. Stonewell closed it up and sat on his bed. She looked at him and smiled. "This should do it Dean. With the steady improvements he has been making, however he has been doing that, we should start to see results as soon as the anesthesia wears off tomorrow." The doctor grabbed his hand and squeezed with assurance. "I feel confident that this will be the solution and you two can really begin to heal in peace. Speaking of which," she said as she grabbed the thermometer on the wall, "let's check one more time." Dr. Stonewell placed the instrument in his mouth and took the temperature.

"Have a told you how happy I am that that's not a rectal thermometer? I wouldn't be quite as pleasant as I have been." The whole room burst out from the release of tension.

"You're much better. Just over 100. See? Rest _does_ make difference, and the boost of antibiotics!" She turned to smile at Missouri, then to Jana and Johnny. "I'll be back in a few hours. Someone will be in to prep Sam for the surgery tonight," she started. "He's going to have to loose that beautiful hair of his you know. We can take just the section that they will be working on, or we can do the whole thing."

The thought of this brotherly torture made Dean chuckle aloud. "Oh no, you need to take the whole thing! That will send him into a tizzy. I've been bugging him that he needs a haircut! It will be the first thing he says when he wakes up, and _I _will enjoy it immensely!" Missouri shot him a look while the others laughed.

"Ok, someone will be in later to take care of that. You better be careful though, they may mistake _you_ for _him_ and then who'll be laughing?" The doctor turned and left the room.

"Thanks doc," he called after her, letting his tension go. "He's going to be ok!" He looked up at Missouri who was smiling at him, but there was something in her eyes. Dean picked it up immediately. "Hey Jana, by the way, this is Missouri. Missouri, Jana, and Johnny is there in the corner."

"Missouri? I remember seeing your name in the journal. I'm so glad you were able to come out to see the boys," said Jana. She wasn't sure what Missouri did, but she figured it was big if Dean got her here that quickly. Suddenly she felt a little uncomfortable with her having the knowledge of what Johnny did to Sam and Dean. "I'm sure Dean told you everything that has gone on over the last few days…"

"Don't worry honey, everything's ok. You don't have to lose any sleep over this. You had no control over the situation." She smiled a peaceful smile at Jana and turned to Dean.

"Listen, Jana, would you mind giving us a minute. Missouri and I have a few things to talk about."

Jana jumped up. "Oh, sure, no problem." She ran to grab her purse and started toward the door. "I was thinking I was a bit hungry anyway. Can I grab either of you something from the cafeteria?"

"You tend to spend a lot of time in there don't you," he smiled at her. "Burger and fries would be great, but I wouldn't mind a bag of chips." Dean was surprised at her quickness to oblige. Missouri shook her head and smiled.

"Great, we'll be back in a little while." She turned to look at Johnny. "Come on Johnny, we'll go see what's down there." He started to follow her, but then instinctively turned back to Missouri. Johnny grabbed her hand and shook it. She placed her hand on his head and crouched to his level.

"It's very nice to meet you too young man. When you come back, I have a couple things I want to ask you. Is that ok?" She caressed his face. Jana looked on. _What would she be asking him?_

"I'll do whatever I can to help Sam, Missouri." With that he trotted out the room after Jana. Missouri rose and closed the door.

Dean hawked in on her as soon as the door closed. "What is it?"

Missouri came and sat in the chair next to the bed. "First, the boy is not a danger any longer. I could feel what _was_ in him, and it was scary bad. He has abilities that I can't explain, but I think he may be able to still help Sam." Dean perked up with that comment.

"The healing? Can he still do that?"

"No. He was a vessel for their needs, but he does still have the ability to go into dreams. I think that's what we'll need to boost Sam's consciousness awake, after tomorrow." She looked at Dean with a seriousness that he hadn't seen. "The boy is here for a reason Dean. Somehow, he is part of this. There is a connection to Sam on a very deep level." Dean devoured every word she said and hoped for more. "They shared a lot in the time they spent together. Johnny will do whatever he can to help him, of that I'm sure."

Dean leaned back harder into the bed. _Could this finally be coming to an end?_ "What else did you sense, from the others?"

Missouri blushed a little as she continued. "The girl likes you. It was a shock to her, but she is finding herself very attracted to you." She smiled at him and continued on. "She has been through many trials in the last few months, but somehow she is finding that she can _trust_ you, and her trust does not come easy." She touched his arm and stroked it. "Jana could be very good for you Dean. The relationship started with no pretense and could grow to something more, if you let it." Dean squirmed a little.

"Well, who wouldn't be attracted to me? I'm handsome, charming…"

"Could you just listen to what I'm saying and stop avoiding the subject. I'm not saying you should _marry_ her or anything, I'm just telling you so you know, and you can make informed decisions." His ego deflated a little.

"What I really wanted to talk about is that doctor." Dean stared at her astounded. "Before you starting jawing off at me, hear me out. She will help Sam to get better, there is no doubt, but there is something else here." Dean listened intently to what she said. "I can't quite put my finger on it. You told her everything that happened. She witnessed the channeling of your mom. I'm not sure that she can handle it." Missouri shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't know what she will do with the information, but as soon as you are well enough, you have to leave this hospital." She looked to the door again and rose. "There is something here, an evil in this building. It's not spirits, it's evil. They followed you here and you have to be more on your guard then ever."

"But we exorcised the demon from the nurse. How many more are there, and why are you always looking at the door," he said finally after watching her do it so many times.

"Something has been lurking Dean, trying to see what's going on. I don't know if it's good or evil, but it is persistent. I can't get a hold of it. It is always right out of my reach." She took a deep breath of frustration. "We need to start with protection as soon as Sam gets back tomorrow." She came back to the chair. "Nothing will happen tonight. They want Sam to get better. This is his test. Tomorrow will be another story."

**Chapter 19**

Jana and Johnny came back to the room a short time later to see Dean and Missouri relaxing and watching TV. They entered cautiously. "Is everything ok?"

"Please child, come in. We didn't mean to chase you off, we just needed a few minutes to get caught up on the goings on of this crazy place." She welcomed Jana in. They entered and looked around. Johnny went to Sam's side, closest to the window and Jana sat on the edge of Dean's bed. Missouri didn't want to play around with Jana and make her more uncomfortable. "You already know my name, but I want you to know what I do. I'm a psychic – I read thoughts and energies." Jana immediately became uncomfortable. "No honey, don't worry. We just needed to talk." She continued to validate her abilities. "I am the one that showed the boys how to make the satchels that cleared the spirits from your house." Jana nodded in appreciation. Her voice had a calming effect on Jana and she felt more at ease than a minute ago.

"That was you! Cool! I bet _they_ are mad you at you," cried Johnny from the other end of the room.

"Oh yes, they are mad at me. And at them," she indicated to the Winchesters. "In fact, this whole thing is about them and what they do." She got up and faced Jana at the end of the bed.

"Sam said this was a test, well his mother did," said Jana realizing this was not a typical conversation. "A test of what?"

"Faith," she proclaimed. "Things are going to get dangerous around here Jana. I explained to Dean that this whole place is lurking with evil. It's not just a spirit, it's everywhere." She looked at Johnny. "I believe you are here for a reason as well young man." Johnny perked up.

"Me? Why am I here?" He ran to Missouri's side and looked up at her. "Is it because of Sam?"

She placed her hand on the boy. Missouri couldn't help but be intrigued by him. "Yes child. You and Sam have a link. That has been proven more than once in the last few days. I think tomorrow that we should test that link. How do you feel about that?" Missouri glanced at Jana to see her reaction to the statement. She felt worry, but trust exuded from her.

"You want me to go into his dreams," Johnny said excitedly. He went to his backpack and rifled through it. Things were thrown on the floor. After a moment, he pulled a small object from the pack and held it up.

"What the hell is that," cried Dean. Johnny ran over to him and gave it to him. Missouri made her way to the object as well. "It's a spoon! What are you doing with a spoon?" Dean took a closer look at it. It looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. It was old and had chips out of the picture at the top. He turned it over and saw the name 'SAM' etched in the back. "Johnny, where did you get this," he said with alarm in his voice

Johnny stepped back realizing that they were not as excited about his surprise as he was. "_They_ gave it to me. They said it was Sam's when he was a baby. It was in a trunk, in the basement of your old house." Realization slapped Dean across the face.

"The trunk! Holy crap. Jenny gave the whole trunk to us when we left, but they must have gotten there first. How?" He fingered the spoon in awe, wondering how long this had been planned. Missouri asked to look at it and felt for anything unusual. She felt a slight ping of energy, but nothing spectacular.

"Yeah, Jenny. I remember her and her two kids Sari and Richie. That was the first time I called to Sam, in his dreams," Johnny said matter of factly. "They wanted me to let Sam know that he had to come home, so they told me to show him the house, and the creepy tree and a woman in a window screaming for help."

"What?"

"Oh my God," cried Missouri dropping the spoon to the floor. "_You_ did that? John thought it was the house! What did they tell you?" The silence was deafening in the room. Jana looked to Dean and then to Missouri trying to piece together what just happened. She dare not interrupt. The slight click of the machines Sam was hooked up to were heard, but ignored. Everyone was in shock at what was being said.

"They said I was special and that they needed Sam. They wanted him in Kansas, at his old house. I don't know why, they just did. They gave me the images and that's what I showed him." The boy went back over to Sam hoping for a loving arm to reach out to him. It did not come so he crawled into bed next to him. He was obviously scared and feeling attacked by the others. Sam was his only shelter. "After that, they disappeared for a while. No one came to play with me. I was alone, again. My mom…" he stopped and Jana knelt next to him in the bed.

"It's ok Johnny. This isn't your fault. You didn't understand what was happening." She begged answers from Missouri with her glances. "They were very convincing. We know that you weren't you. It's ok." She stroked the boy's head and tried to calm him down.

Dean was beside himself with anger. "This whole thing has been a set up, from the _moment_ we went to Lawrence. _It started in Lawrence.._ that's what she said. This is about Sammy and breaking him down, seeing what he could do," Dean was appauled that he hadn't put this together sooner. He was so overwhelmed by the freakiness of the situation that he didn't see the bigger picture. "That's why Ellicott went for Sam first at the Asylum, even though I was alone. He was so much more vulnerable after the attack at the house. They wanted to see how far they could push him. _Control_ him." Dean was thinking aloud and finally piecing things together. The others looked at him but didn't question his train of logic. "My dad. Does he know about this Missouri? How much does he know? You have to tell me." He pleaded with her from his bed.

Missouri was just as shocked by the news as Dean was. She knew it was time to get every bit on the table, even things that she speculated on. She began her theories. "There are two separate things going on here, but they are connected. Your dad is still after the thing that killed your mom. I believe that is part of the evil that is trying to break you two down now." She went over to Dean and sat on the bed. "John knew something was going on with Sam, but he wanted to see how far it would go and where it would go. Your father knew that Sam needed _you_, and only you. That's why he disappeared." Missouri looked to Dean who got a sudden chill. She grabbed his hand. "He needed to do it on his own, and to take _those_ demons as far away from you as possible. You have enough of your own demons, don't you Dean."

Dean didn't know what to do or what to say. This was all so overwhelming. His head was spinning with all the information he was learning. _Why couldn't dad just be honest with us and tell us what was going on? It would have made everything so much easier_. _What is so special about us?_

"I told you, you were chosen," said Missouri, answering his thoughts. "This is your destiny, and your burden. There are not two better people in the world to do what you do." She grabbed his face. "The two of you together are almost unstoppable, especially now, in spite of everything."

There was a knock at the door. The knock startled the group and everyone turned to see who was there. A male nurse entered and made his way to Sam. He definitely felt like he was interrupting something. "I'm supposed to shave him for surgery in the morning." The room that was just filled with so much tension was finally light.

Dean sighed thinking all the evil thoughts that siblings do. "Oh, he is going to love this," started Dean. "There are some other places you can shave as well, if you'd like," cracked Dean making hand motions to another region of Sam's body. The nurse smiled uncomfortably and went over to Sam and removed the bandages. "Can you prop me up," asked Dean. "I want to see every minute of this."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 20**

6am came right on schedule. The sun was just peeking out on the horizon. It cast a touch of light on Sam's face, and his balding head. He didn't seem to mind. At least, not yet. In the bed next to him, Dean had just fallen asleep after tossing and turning all night. With everything in his head, it was no wonder. Dr. Stonewell wanted to give him a sedative, but he refused. Although he felt Missouri was right about an attack, he still didn't want to be drugged up in case something did happen.

Missouri made herself comfortable in the chair between the two boys. She had no intentions of leaving their side, especially in light of last night's news. She also sent Jana and Johnny home. It didn't make sense for all of them to be exhausted. Jana said she would come back in the late morning to see how Sam was doing. Then they would start their plan of action.

The orderlies entered the room to take Sam for his surgery. There was a peacefulness on his face that wasn't present before. Missouri noticed it right away, even though she still wasn't getting any thoughts from him. Dean did not wake as they entered. _I'll let the boy sleep. _She waved the men in to the room and she watched them unhook him from the machines. They were surprisingly quiet and did not disturb Dean. Missouri decided that she would walk down to the prep room with Sam, just to make sure there were no wrong turns along the way. It would seem odd to let him get this far and try to kill him now, but stranger things had happened to these boys. They left the room together and Missouri closed the door.

The sun was at full stream by 8am, and directed toward Dean. He squinted and wondered why the sun was out so early. He brushed away at the sleep in his eyes and looked up. They were all gone! He jolted upright and immediately regretted it. _They took him, and I didn't get to see him. What if…_

"He's in surgery now Dean," said Missouri as she entered the door. "I've been with him, to make sure he got into the right hands." She came to his side and sat on the bed and made an awful face. "Boy, you need to brush your teeth! That is some nasty breath you got there!" _It's always something!_

"I asked them how the surgery was going, but because I'm not family, they couldn't tell me," she smiled. "So I read his mind and it was going well. They should be done around 9am, then they will have him in an observation area for a few hours. I will make sure that I am down there to keep an eye on him."

"We'll be around too," cried Jana as she brought in fresh coffee for the pair. Dean's eyes grew wide as he got some real coffee, not the watered down crap they had been serving. She handed it to him and brushed his head. He took it quickly and had a sample.

"Now that's the coffee Juan Valdez likes! Thanks Jana," not noticing the extra attention she gave him. Missouri sighed.

"I think Johnny and I will take a walk to see how it's going," said Jana suddenly after being ignored by Dean. "Can you point us in the right direction Missouri?" He looked up at her questioningly and took another sip.

"Jana," he asked, "Can you ask the doctors if I can go? When he's in recovery. I want to be there." Dean sounded like a little kid. He knew this was it. If they didn't make a breakthrough with the surgery, he wasn't sure what the next step would be. She could hear the worry in his voice and realized she was being stupid.

"Sure. We'll find out." She turned and left the room with Johnny.

"If you weren't in so much pain already I'd smack you with my hand." Dean recoiled from her. "How can you treat that girl that way!"

"What way? What are you talking about?" Dean honestly hadn't a clue that he just did something bad.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Jana knew how important it was for Dean to be there for Sam when he 'woke up' so she went out of her way to get him a visit – in a wheelchair. It was better than nothing, but Dean was not happy at being carted around like an invalid.

The rolled down the hallway toward the recovery room. People looked at them as they went by, smiling feebly at him. At least that's what it felt like in Dean's head. He hated being cared for like this. _Why can't I just walk?_ They continued down the hall with their entourage.

"You know the doctor said wheelchair or nothing. Honestly Dean, you are such a baby sometimes," answered Missouri. She had been monitoring his thoughts since they walked out of the room. _The boy is so proud, but so loving. Why does he always have to put up a front?_

Dean was beginning to think that having a mind reader around all the time wasn't such a good idea. He couldn't have a quiet moment to himself. He quickly looked to Missouri so she wouldn't get mad at him again, but he knew that look.

They arrived in the family waiting area. The doctors would come in as soon as there was any news on Sam. It was now 10:30 and Sam just arrived in recovery. _Longer than they said it would be._ He looked to Missouri.

"What do you think? How long will it be before the anesthesia wears off," Dean asked of anyone in the room who might have the answer. No one replied.

The time ticked on and there was little to say. Even Johnny was quietly sitting next to his aunt, wondering how Sam would be. Dean imagined his life without Sam. _I knew you would leave me too. It was just a matter of time._ Missouri shot him a look, but he ignored her. He couldn't help it. There was too much left to do. He had to be alright.

"Are you the brother," asked a doctor suddenly from the entrance.

"Yes!" Dean tried to rise from the chair, but came back down hard. He grimaced from his bruises and breaks. "Yes. Is he awake? What happened? Is he going to be ok?"

The doctor looked at him with sympathy. "No, he is still in recovery. We won't know until the anesthesia wears off in another two hours or so. You are welcome to come sit with him for a moment if you would like."

Dean nodded anxiously and Missouri got up to wheel him. She looked at Jana and Johnny and gave them a reassuring smile. They did not move. "Would it be alright if I brought my friend with me? We'll only stay for a minute."

"Hospital policy is family only," the doctor looked at the young man. _Why was this case so unusual?_ "I think we can sneak her in for a few moments though." He smiled at the two of them. Missouri looked back to Jana and winked. They went across the hallway. There was a prep room that the doctors and nurses used as a station. This was to give the patients some privacy. They wheeled through there to the recovery room.

Sam was not the only patient in the space. Two others were in different areas with their loved ones huddled about them. As Dean saw Sam across the room, his heart sank. He was so pale, even with all the black and blue marks, and bald. _Why did I do that to him?_ The right side of his face was bandaged with fresh dressings. They had an IV and a small bag of blood attached to him. For the moment, the EEG was not a part of the equation. Missouri squeezed his shoulder and he felt better. They moved closer.

Dean grabbed Sam's hand. He tried to be strong but tears poured down his face. "I'll be back in a few moments," said the doctor as he took his leave.

"Sam? Sam, can you hear me. Please Sam." He used his feet to get closer to the bed. He touched his brother's face. It was cold and clammy. His lips were chapped and his boyish good looks were nowhere to be found. _Is this really my brother?_ "Hey Bitch, are you there?" Dean found a force inside him. A couple of the other families turned to look at him. He didn't care. _Call me a Jerk Sammy, come on!_ There was no response.

Missouri stood over the two boys. _Such love for each other, such a burden_. She opened herself to feel for Sam. She felt darkness, confusion. Missouri touched him and took a deep breath. Dean looked up at her, not wanting to disturb her. She wasn't sure what she had latched onto. A few of the other people in the room were curious what she was doing and turned. She had to shoe their energy away. _Sam? Are you there Sam? _She continued to stretch out to find him.

Dean was getting nervous. It shouldn't take this long. She would know right away if he was there. _Maybe it's the drugs. They're suppressing his ability to be… free?_ Dean shook away his thoughts and focused on Missouri again.

There was still darkness_. It is definitely the drugs, but I should have something. Sam? I know you're in here. Answer me baby_. Then she felt it. It was so small she wasn't even sure it happened. It was a feeling. He couldn't answer, but he was there. She felt his love.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait outside ma'am." The doctor came back in. "I don't want to get into any trouble, if you know what I mean."

He distracted her enough that she lost it. But it was there. Sam was definitely there. "Of course, I wouldn't want to go against hospital policy." She turned from Sam. "Do you want to stay Dean," she looked at him and he knew she had something to say.

"I'll come back when he is a little more awake, if that's ok," he said quickly to get his answers. Missouri grabbed the wheelchair and they headed out the door across the hall. The doctor opened the door for them and Jana stood up. There was no one else in the room.

"Well, what happened," she cried excitedly.

She came around the front to Dean. "He's there," she said quickly to alleviate the tension. They all cheered. "It was very difficult to find him. The drugs are still weighing heavily in his mind." She sat on the nearest chair and continued. "I didn't actually get _him_, I got a feeling. It was so brief and then the doctor came in." She looked to Dean. "I felt his love for you."

**Chapter 21**

_Sam was on the floor, alone. No light, no noise, nothing. He struggled to pull himself upright, to look around. At what? He started to walk, the direction didn't matter, he just needed to walk somewhere. There had to be something in the room with him. "Dean," he called. No echo, no response. Where the hell am I? He tried to figure out how he got there, and nothing was coming to him. Think! Sam took a deep breath; that always seemed to help him focus. What is the last thing…..He remembered a nightmare, with a little boy and a white house. Yes! They went to see him, the house was filled with demons. The satchels….the basement. I got hit with something. Dean? Oh no, if **I** got hit….He started to panic. He needed to find a way out of the room to make sure that Dean was ok. And Jana. Johnny was lost to them…._

_He heard a sound behind him. Sam whipped around expecting to see something, but there was nothing. "Hello?" He walked toward where he thought the sound was coming from. He felt a presence, but couldn't pinpoint it. It was as dark as the room. He shivered suddenly. He had no weapons and no idea what was going on. Sam heard a noise that sounded like a knife coming out of a sheath. He threw his arm up instinctively for protection, but he wasn't sure why. He heard it hit something close to him and drop to the ground. What the hell was that? It came again from another direction. Again, instinct kicked in, if it worked the first time, it should work again. THUD._

"_Very good," said a deep voice from far away. Sam listened with all his might to try and get an idea where it came from. His eyes were still seeing pitch black. "You have developed that talent quickly Sam Winchester."_

"_Who are you and what do you want?"_

_A backlight came from nowhere and enveloped a tall figure in the distance. It was just an image, no face or features. There was guttural laughter before the man answered his question. It made all of Sam's hair stand up. "You!" The light went out._

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"But you _did_ sense him in there. It was him, right," asked Dean for the tenth time. Missouri was getting tired of these questions. "Yes Dean, he was there." She looked to the ceiling for guidance. "I wish I could go back and see how he is now that more of the drug has worn off. I don't want to push my luck."

"Maybe we can convince them to allow Sam to recuperate in the room. That way we'll have the protection he needs," stated Jana. Johnny jumped at this idea.

Dean shook his head. "Not for a coma patient with this kind of surgery. They want to make sure he doesn't have any relapse. Sam needs to be close to the operating room in case they have to take him back." Dean sighed heavily. He looked to the clock. It was almost 11:30, an hour into the wear off. "Do you think they hooked him back up to the EEG monitor yet? Maybe that will give us some answers."

Jana wheeled Dean into the hallway again. He looked into the prep room window and tapped on the glass to get the doctor's attention. He was in the prep area. The man came over to Dean. "Is there any word yet? Will you be hooking my brother back up to the EEG machine?"

The doctor could see how agitated the young man was. "We are actually hooking him up now. We should be able to get a read soon." The doctor turned to go back into the room. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll come get you across the way. Then you can spend some more time with him. If everything goes well, we'll get him back to the room in an hour or so." He left Dean in the hallway.

Jana grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. "That is great news Dean! Let's go tell the others."

He didn't say anything. Dean didn't know why, but something felt terribly wrong.

………………………………………………………………………………….

_The darkness enclosed Sam again as the light clicked off. The only things he had were his instincts and this new ability to stop knives. That was a mystery to him. It was time to take this conversation to the next level._

"_It has been a long 22 year wait for this day Sam Winchester," the voice said unexpectedly. "I should have taken you then, but I had to know if you were the one."_

"_The one what," said Sam, taking the bait._

"_The chosen one," he answered. Sam could hear the figure moving. He wondered if he could find the knives on the floor. "You and your brother think you are heroes, but you pillage and destroy things that you do not understand. At least, not yet." Sam didn't like the sound of that. He found one of the knives and put it in his pants. "You will understand why we are here – why YOU are here. You have been mine since that day, Sam Winchester. The day your mother died for you." He found the other knife. "I waited patiently until I knew it was the right time." He could hear the voice getting nearer and nearer. "**Now** is the time. Now you will come to me."_

"_I don't think so." Sam leapt in the direction of the voice, knife at the ready. He slashed forward hoping to hit something, anything. He felt a cold rush come over him. Sam was near the thing, he just couldn't find it. It was in front of him, then gone._

_The laughter began again, only much longer this time. "Do you think I would have allowed you take the knives if they could hurt me?" The knives were seized from his hands and flew to opposite corners of the room. In front of him, the silhouette he saw from a distance abruptly burst into flames. "Do you recognize me now Sam Winchester? You have searched for me for so long. Here I am. Take your revenge – if you can."_

…………………………………………………………………………………………

It was the longest 15 minutes of Dean's life. He couldn't wait any longer. Missouri knew he was upset, but she couldn't tell why. What she was getting from him was erratic and didn't make sense.

"Dean, what is going on? Why are you so agitated," demanded Missouri. "I've never seen you like this. You're like a caged animal. I can't read you at all."

Dean was in the corner and he wheeled himself, with his feet, back to where they were. "I can't explain it. It's like a Luke and Leia thing. He's calling to me. He's in danger and I can't do anything about it." Jana looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Missouri knew not to mess with intuition, especially when it was this strong and from these two brothers. She went to him. "How is he in danger? Is there someone in the room with him? What is it?"

Dean was being tormented. "I don't know. There is something going on and I know that I can't help him," he looked at her with fear in his eyes. "We need to go see him, and you have to find a way to come with me."

She couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed the back of the wheelchair and sped him to the hallway.

………………………………………………………………………………………

_Sam stood face to face with evil. This was the thing that killed his mother and the love of his life. The rage grew in him, it devoured him. He raised his arms and threw them forward. He felt the energy leave from him and surround the flaming creature. Sam kept driving the energy into him. He made the invisible cage smaller and the flames began to diminish. His wrath took over and there was no stopping him. "This is for my mother," he said as he made the area smaller. "And this, is for Jessica." The gap closed and extinguished the flame. Complete darkness surrounded him again. He fell to the floor, exhausted, tears streaming from his eyes. Silence._

"_Oh yes, you are certainly the chosen one," came the voice from far away. "There is no longer any doubt."_

"_No." Sam lay on the floor. He thought he had finally gotten the revenge he had been seeking for his entire life. Now he realized he was a pawn in this game… why was that familiar to him….He didn't know what to do. "What do you want from me, from us? Why?" He could barely talk._

_The figure appeared from nowhere towering above him with just enough light in the room for Sam to see. "I want you."_

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Dean caught the same doctor's attention. He could see the man was irritated that he was back. He came to the door. The doctor was about to go off on Dean, but he could see the panic in his eyes. "Listen, give me a few minutes and he'll be ready, I promise."

"I really need to see him doc," Dean begged. "I think something is wrong."

The doctor wasn't sure what to make of it. "Hold on." The man left and went into the back room. He had propped the door open, so Dean could see he was talking with someone. He nodded and pointed to a few things in the room. "Ok," Dean heard him say. The doctor came back to him. "I can take you back, but your friend has to stay." He looked to Missouri.

Dean glanced at the doctor. "But she _is_ my family, other than Sam. Please, I need her to come with." He begged him with his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Look, I shouldn't even let you in here right now. You can only stay a few minutes." He grabbed the back of the wheelchair and brought him in. Missouri was sick for Dean. Whatever had happened, he was not handling it well.

They entered the room and there were several people around Sam. The monitor was back on. Dean struggled to get close enough to see the reading. One nurse was in the way, then another. The doctor pushed him to Sam's side. "He really just needs a moment. He is very concerned for his brother." The nurses understood and backed away from Sam. Dean inched his way closer to him. Sam was still very pale and rigid. What concerned him was the EEG monitor. He followed the cords to make sure that they were attached to Sam and not someone else. The lines on the screen were all over the place. Sam went from almost nothing to unpredictable spikes every few seconds.

Dean looked to the doctor. "What does that mean," he asked apprehensively.

The doctor crossed his arms and addressed Dean. "If I had to fathom a guess, I would say he's having a nightmare."

Dean's stomach dropped to his feet with the sudden realization of what was going on. "This is the test…"


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi, me again. I hope you guys are enjoying this. My intention was to have this story finished (completely) by last night's episode (Nightmare). It's done on some level, but I am making adjustments to it here and there. I'll keep sending up chapters. Please let me know what you think or if anything is confusing. I am open to interpretation and have made some changes based on your comments.**

**You guys rock!**

**Caroline**

**Chapter 22**

_The figure leaned into Sam who was helpless to fight back. He struggled within himself to get away, but he was glued to the floor. "I certainly had no idea when I left you that night that you and your family would become the **tyrants** that you are. You decide what is evil and you destroy it. WHO ARE YOU!" The voice boomed through the endless room. "You do not know what is right and wrong," Sam heard the evil smile through the voice. He shuddered. " I will show you. You will embrace it as the truth." Sam tried to find the strength in himself to fight. The creature laughed at him. He placed his hand on Sam's forehead. "Why do you bother to struggle? You will be mine, and once you do my bidding, your first task will be to kill your brother."_

"_NO…….."_

………………………………………………………………………………………

The monitor spiked higher than Dean had seen it. He officially kicked into high panic mode. _What the hell is going on?_ "Doc, is there any way to get him awake quicker?" He realized that he sounded like a crazy man. He took a breath and tried to calm himself down. _Time for a Zen moment_. He smiled at the nurses and staff that were currently looking at him like he needed a straight jacket. "I mean, I just want to make sure he's ok, you know?"

The monitor continued to show irregular brain waves. Dean knew it wasn't good. Sam needed him. He had to protect him. He had to compose himself and think this through. If he could get him back to the room, perhaps the protection would help him.

The doctor tried to ease his concerns. "This is good news! If he is having dreams, then he is coming out of the coma. I'm sure he is fighting with all the oddities in his head." He placed his hand on Dean's shoulder. _If you only knew!_ "He has been unconscious for a few days, so his body is trying to acclimate itself. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

He needed another approach. "You know, you're right! He's my little brother, doc! I have to look out for him." _Here goes_. "What I think would make him even more comfortable would be to go back to the room so he can feel all his friends around him," he looked to the doctor with the best smile he could muster. "Since it's just a dream, that should be ok, right?"

The doctors and nurses looked to each other for affirmation of Dean's suggestion. A few shrugged in response. Ultimately the doctor had the final say. "I don't see why that would be a problem." _If there is a God, THANK you!_ "He should be waking up soon. Give us a few minutes and we'll send him back. Does that sound ok?" The doctor checked Dean's reaction. He was elated.

"That's great doc! Thanks so much!" He wheeled himself around and started out the door. "I'm going to tell my friends the news." Dean didn't think he could go any faster than he was going. He was shaking like a leaf. "Thanks doc! We'll be looking for him in a few minutes!"

The doctor waved at Dean's back. He looked at the remaining staff in the room and shook his head.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

_Sam lay on the ground unable to fight the grip of the demon. This can't be happening. Images went through his head of destruction, chaos, disorder. He couldn't get away. It was everywhere. They kept coming one after another like a torture chamber. He screamed with an empty voice. There were bodies strewn from disasters, murder victims, fire, flood, famine. It didn't stop. _

"_This is the natural balance and order. It was so from the beginning. This is why we exist. We make the world right for those who deserve to inhabit it. WE are the heroes, not the villains." The symbols continued to flash, faster and faster. Sam fought the feelings of despair within him. How can this be right? No…_

"_It IS right. WE are right." The words resounded in Sam's head along with the images. "The anger and power to stop those who are wrong is within you," the voice pause for effect. "It IS you. You embraced it right here moments ago and that is where your power is." The demon leaned into Sam and was close to his ear. "You felt it. You loved it. You wanted more, didn't you?" The voice was unrelenting. "YOU can destroy those who seek to purify. YOU have the power to make things right." The figure was winning the battle with Sam. "It has **always** been you." He continued to struggle. Have I been wrong?…._

_no…_

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The doors sprung open and Dean burst into the room. Another couple looked on startled as he made his dramatic entry.

"My Lord boy, what are you doing," scolded Missouri. She then got his panicked energy and went to him.

Dean went right to action ignoring Missouri's comments. "Johnny. I need you." He didn't care who heard him or what they thought. "You have to go into his dreams. Right now!" Dean was trying his best to hold his composure in front of the others but it wasn't working. "He's losing, I can tell. I don't know what's happening, but you have to reach him." Dean was out of breath. Missouri took the lead and they huddled.

"Honey, what do you need for Sam, other than the spoon," she began. "Do you need images, pictures? Tell us so we can prepare," Missouri asked as they started the forthcoming battle.

Johnny was taken aback. He remembered Missouri asking about doing this, but he wasn't really ready. The idea of saving Sam filled him with hope. "They showed me pictures, but if you tell me what you want to say to him, I can just do that. That will be quicker."

Dean rolled closer to him. "Johnny, when you go into the dream, do you have any interaction? Will you be able to see what is going on?" He grabbed his arm, pleading with his eyes. "I need to know what is happening," he said desperately. Beads of sweat started to drip from his brow. He could feel his heart racing and he felt like he was going to throw up.

Johnny looked at him sadly. "No, I just send the message and the pictures. I couldn't tell what else was going on. It's like a recording." Dean looked dejected. "I'm sorry Dean, I don't know how."

"Can you take us with you," asked Missouri suddenly with new resolve. "If I can go with you, I can see what's going on and get a feel for the situation."

Jana was taking all this in, not having a clue how to respond. "Is this going to be dangerous? I'm not sure that I want…"

Missouri touched Jana's face with a kindness she had never felt before. "I know baby. This is _so_ hard for you. You want to make the right decisions, but everything that has happened is making you question." She looked at Johnny and smiled. "He is so special. Right now, he is probably our _only_ hope for Sam," she said with concern in her voice. "If Dean is right, and I think he is, and Sam is losing this internal battle, we have no idea _what_ Sam will be when he awakens." Missouri peered at Dean's expressions and felt his worry. "_This_ is the test. It is evil; that I know. I can feel it from here." Missouri took Jana's hands in her own. "I need to know what Sam is facing so I can help him. So _we_ can help him."

Johnny came to Missouri. "I don't know if I can take you, but I will try." He looked to Jana for approval. Tears ran down her face as her heart was breaking. She nodded.

"We have to go prepare the room," said Dean in a fury. "If he is going back to the room, we need to give him the extra edge. We have to hurry." Dean flew out of the room before they were able to agree with him.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

_His head was overwhelmed with information. Sam tried to get a last grip on what was happening. He struggled for sanity. Where am I? How did I get here? He attempted to block the barrage of things being thrown at him by diverting his attention. Displacement. I remember from, what class was that? The demon felt him trying to fight and the images became bolder and more vivid in response to his efforts. He tried to scream again. Happiness. Love. I need love…Dean…Jessica……._

_The creature retorted by showing him the image of Jessica engulfed in flames on the ceiling. "She deserved to die Sam Winchester. She was not meant for you. None of them are meant for you"_

_Jess…_

………………………………………………………………………………………..

They got back to the room and found the bag hidden under the bed. Dean was afraid someone would come in and take it. Everything was still there, including their father's journal. They quickly worked the room. The first thing they did was put a salt perimeter under Sam's bed. Jana also found a pentagram in the sack and they decided to put it under the mattress for additional aid. Dean was not much help, but Jana proved her bench press ability easily.

Across the hall, Johnny and Missouri set up shop. They figured it would be easier to put an 'out of order' sign on the bathroom and have peace. They grabbed a few things that they wanted to show Sam, including pictures of his family and Jessica, along with the spoon. Johnny was doing his best to settle himself down to do this task. He would have to send a picture of calm to Sam. And hopefully he could take Missouri along to assist with his test.

Chatter was heard in the hallway, along with the sound of a rolling cart. Sam was on his way back. Dean and Jana looked around the room for anything else they could find to help out. She grabbed the bag and hid it back in the closet. They threw some holy water over the entrance and tried to settle naturally into their positions.

The door opened wider and the nurses had Sam. They were talking as if everything was a sunny day, not having any idea the battle that was occurring. They brought Sam in and proceeded with their normal routine. Sam still looked pale and exhausted. Dean's heart sank as he could feel the angst in his brother. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it would burst out of his chest. One of the nurses got a page and ran from the room. The others looked to each other and decided to wait for his return. Jana and Dean exchanged glances. _Shit! This is taking too much time_. They hoped at least, that Johnny was ready to go.

Johnny used a small candle to focus his thoughts. He had carefully looked over the pictures and stored them in his memory. He wanted to make sure that he did everything right. This was for Sam. Missouri had schooled him on keeping his concentration. They had worked out a time when she would attempt to make contact through him. She nodded to him. It was showtime.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 23**

_Sam was losing his identity. The emptiness was swallowing him. The anger was seeding itself in his soul. It was so hard to resist. He tried to distract his brain by thinking about other things, but the demon followed the path and doubled the efforts. He wished he would just die, so no one would be hurt by him. "Please let me die"_

"_The old Sam Winchester **will** soon be dead," interjected the voice reading his every thought. "Fear not, for the new Winchester will grow strong and vanquish those who do not succumb to our ways." The images cultivated levels of intensity and Sam could resist no longer. He was shaking with fear and frustration. Sam was exhausted. He knew his face was wet with a combination of sweat and tears, and possibly blood. I'm sorry Dean…_

_From a corner in the room, a light flickered. Is there really something there? Sam was able to steal a glance in his last moments. It was a figure, a figure of a small boy, and he was approaching Sam. "Johnny?"_

_The weak light shone suddenly into a large image. The picture was of Sam and Dean with their father as children. "Sam. You have to listen to me. Concentrate on these pictures," said Johnny from far away._

"_NO! You will not have him," screamed the demon as he rushed toward Johnny and floated through him. The child was merely an image and could not be touched. The creature glared at Sam who seemed to be coming back around. "NO!"_

"_Johnny, is that you," cried Sam focusing on the image. "Johnny?" The boy did not answer._

_Another picture of Jessica appeared before him. "Sam. Whatever is happening you have to fight it," Johnny appealed to him. "Help is coming Sam. Hold on. Concentrate."_

_Sam did as he was told and fought against the demon. He shook away his fear and tried to rise to one knee for a show of strength. The devil continued to bombard him with feelings of anger and images of chaos. "This child is nothing anymore. He served his purpose. You must destroy him," the voice demanded. "You WILL destroy him."_

_Johnny continued on as he was told to do, like a little video recording. He persisted with encouraging comments to Sam and talked about the evil he and his brother had destroyed. Sam watched him, praying it was true and right. Then next to him appeared Missouri._

_Sam's heart jumped. Is she really here, or is this part of the treachery. "Missouri," Sam called weakly. "Is that really you? Please, help me… I …can't." He fell back to the floor._

_She took a moment to survey what was going on. Lord have mercy. The evil was almost impenetrable. Missouri noticed that the demon left the boy alone, understanding that he was a vision only. Internally, she took a breath. That was her angle, make him believe the same. "Sam, I know you can hear me. We are here to help." She tried with all her might to not sound afraid or her cover would be blown._

"_Not another," the demon snorted. He looked at her and had recognition. "I remember you," it said, directing its comments toward Missouri. "You were in the house after the woman was consumed. This is YOUR fault."_

_Missouri began to shake and kept talking to Sam. "Sam I know you are here," she continued as she walked to him. She feigned that she had no direction. "Baby, you must come back to us. I felt you earlier. I felt your love for your brother. Hold on to that."_

"_Dean," said Sam weakly. He tried to get back up but the forces continued on him as the demon continued with its rage. "Missouri, help me." The creature pondered the situation and slowly made its way toward Sam._

_It was on to her. She knew she only had limited time left. "Sam. Your mother. Think of your mother and her love for you." She reached into her pocket as she got close to Sam. "She died for you, to protect you. You cannot leave the world like this. This is not who you are." She ran to his side and grabbed his hand. She put a necklace in it and closed his hand around it. Her timing had to be perfect. "This was your mothers. Use it now!" The demon made lightning speed to Sam's side as it understood the plan._

_She was really there! A surge of energy came to Sam. He used the necklace as added strength. The demon's power came at Missouri to stop her attempts at rescue. Sam sent his shield up to protect her. He was weak but had new resolve._

_The demon laughed maniacally. "Stupid boy. Do you think you can stop me with a shield?" He mocked Sam and continued forward. "You will be mine or you will die, here and now. Make your choice."_

_Sam's force tripled and he stood upright. He threw his arms wide. Sam shot a green energy from his body that enveloped the room. It gave him even further strength the surprised and scared him. The demon stumbled backwards, wondering what was happening. "I think I just did." The power shot back around and consumed the demon. It could not fight back with the added support Sam had from Missouri. A piercing shriek went through the space and Missouri covered her ears. Sam took the pain and continued to extinguish the beast. The last of the howl faded and darkness took the room again._

_Sam fell exhausted to the floor, not knowing what to do with the strength that had now left his body. Johnny continued to talk away as if nothing had occurred. Missouri reached for Sam in the darkness. He was trembling from fatigue, relief and every other emotion that just blew through his person. She found his wet face and brushed her hand through the hair that was always in his eyes out of the way. "You are amazing Sam Winchester."_

_He felt for her hand and kissed it. Her warmth comforted him immediately. "I wouldn't have made it without you," he trailed thinking how close he had come to betraying all of them. He began to sob uncontrollably in her arms. "You saved me. You both did. I was almost…"_

"_It's ok baby. That is what family is for." She continued to hold him and let him recover_. _It was so close, we almost lost him. She touched his head and caressed him. She didn't know what else to say. As she stroked his hair, she remembered the terrible truth that awaited him when he woke up. "Speaking of family, you will want a word with your brother about your hair."_

"_My hair? What about it," inquired Sam, beginning to wonder what had actually gone on over the period of time that was missing from his memory. "What else did he do?"_

_Missouri rose and took Sam's hand. "It's time to go baby. I have my way, you have yours." She squeezed tight. "It's time to wake up now." Missouri's touch was gone, as was Johnny. Sam was alone in the dark._

………………………………………………………………………………………

Dean hovered anxiously over his brother. The EEG monitor went from erratic to static in no time flat. Dean's heart sank. He was beginning to panic that they were too late. "We should have just put him in the bed ourselves. He needed the salt protection." Jana came to Dean's side and put her hand on his shoulder. In a surprise move, Dean took a hold of it.

The door opened and Missouri walked in with Johnny. Dean's glance shot back around to her. "Well, is he up yet," she inquired. Dean looked at Missouri and saw that she was worn down. _If she looks that bad…._

"My God, what happened to you," Jana ran to Missouri and helped her sit on Dean's bed. She gave her a glass of water and went to Johnny, who looked like he just got up from a nap.

"I think she saved my life," came a barely audible voice. "And Johnny too."

"SAM!" Dean was so overcome he jumped from bed and tried to hug him. He realized immediately that he was in way too much pain to continue the move, and it was a little too much of a chick flick moment. He stopped himself short and looked at his baby brother. "Welcome back bro," he said with a tear in his eye and a slap to the shoulder. "I wasn't sure about this one. You gave us quite a scare."

Instinctively, Sam raised his left hand to his head. "Missouri said you did something to my hair…" His hand got to its destination and he felt the stubbles. Sam's already pale face dropped in shock. "DEAN!" The room burst out in laughter. Sam weakly went to grab Dean with his other hand when a necklace fell to the floor. Dean watched it fall with a look of puzzlement on his face. Sam looked to Missouri and she smiled.


	16. Chapter 16

Hi all

I'm glad you liked the last chapter, it was fun to write. I promise there's only a few more as I try to tie up the details. I wanted you to know that I have taken into consideration some of the comments that were made and this story is tweeked differently than originally intended. I think it's better because of your suggestions. Thank you!

Let me know what you think and I'll try and finish posting it this weekend (pending errors in my head and on the website). There are 27 total chapters - wow! Sorry it was so long!

You guys rock!

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 24**

The mood in the room was much lighter than an hour before. Now that Sam had "passed the test," there was much laughter and congratulations in the round. They let Sam know that Johnny was ok now, which he figured since he tried to save him, and how the demon seemed to move from one person to another. He listened to the stories and pretended to be interested, but he was still silent. He tried to be strong, but Sam felt nauseous and weak. He needed a moment with Dean, alone, to tell him what happened with the demon, and who it was. Dean finally caught the look in Sam's eye. He signaled back with his facial expressions. Sam took the cue. "Would you mind giving us a minute," Sam asked suddenly of the inhabitants of the room. "I just need a few with Dean. It won't take long." Jana and Johnny realized it was the first time that Sam had really spoken since he woke up. They were used to being kicked out of the room by now, so they were up and ready to go in no time. Missouri knew this was going to be extremely difficult for Sam. She hesitated but did get up to leave. She looked back at them as she closed the door.

"If you're gonna kick my ass about your hair…"

"Dean. I need to tell you something," began Sam trying to gather strength.

"No touchy feely stuff bro, you know how I…"

"DEAN!" Sam squinted his eyes and shifted his head. "Please. I promised, no more secrets." Dean sat at the foot of the bed. He never liked these things. Anytime Sam got into this mode, it was certainly easier to crack a joke then to deal with emotion. It was just his way. Regardless, Sam took a deep breath and began. "In my nightmare, whatever it was, the demon, the thing that was torturing me, it was familiar to me."

"Familiar how," asked Dean with intrigue, shifting slightly on the bed.

He paused. "It was the thing that killed mom and Jessica."

Dean was awestruck at the revelation. "_What?_" He didn't know what to say. His mouth went dry as he tried to gather the words. Finally he was able to get out his questions. "How? I thought dad was on its trail and was close."

"Maybe he was, I don't know. I can't explain it," Sam was beginning to stammer trying to find the words to go on. "It told me…. that it was there that night, 22 years ago, that it should have _taken me then_," his voice trailed. Sam tried to adjust himself up in the bed. He knew Dean wasn't going to like this line of detail. Anytime they talked about his "abilities," Dean freaked out, even though he said he was fine with everything. "It put me through some trails, to 'test' me, see what I could do."

Dean swallowed. "And what can you do, Sam?" Dean wasn't sure he wanted the answer to the question.

"I had no idea what was going on." Sam began to shake a little as he continued. "It was mostly reflexes, but apparently I can create some type of shield."

"We saw that here. I thought that was part of the possession," he nodded. "Great, so you can make shields. I can handle it." Dean looked up at Sam. "Is that it?" _Do I want the answer to this? _

Sam felt that he needed a little more brotherly support before he could tell him about how he killed the demon. He decided to go on with the story and what happened to him. "The demon told me I was the 'chosen one.' I have no idea what that means." His voice cracked as he remembered the torture of the nightmare. He kept going. "It downloaded things into my brain. Terrible things, to make me convert."

"Convert to what," cried Dean officially beginning to panic for both of their safeties. "What the hell happened to you Sammy?" He inches his way closer to Sam on the bed.

Sam was now visibly upset and having a hard time confessing these things to his brother. His eyes began to water. He fought back the tears and tried to be strong for the upcoming punches. "Dean, if it hadn't been for Johnny showing up when he did…."

"Sam? What is it," demanded Dean. _Shit, shit, shit_.

"I….think I would have..." The tears streamed down Sam's face, there was no controlling them now. "It was so intense, the images, the voice, the logic. It was beginning to make sense to me, what it was showing me," his voice cracked and he was having a hard time breathing. He paused to try and get some kind of composure. _No more secrets._ He forged on, "population control through floods and famine. Murder and chaos. The puzzle pieces seemed to fit Dean. And I tried to fight it, but I….."he was shivering all over. Missouri came back into the room and looked at the two of them. There was no way Sam could continue the story, and no way Dean could handle it unless she was there to bridge the gap.

"I can't let you continue this without my help baby," she said as she entered the room and scootched Sam over to sit next to him on the bed. She held him in her arms and gingerly stroked his stubble filled head. Dean's mind was racing a mile a minute. Missouri looked at Dean who was shell shocked. "Sam was in bad shape Dean. I'm not going to lie to you. The demon was working overtime, and he didn't want to loose. I don't know how long he had been fighting it, but it was a battle." She stopped to look at Sam who was a quivering mess. "You were holding your own boy, but everyone has their breaking point." She ran her hand down his arms as she held him. Missouri squeezed him and looked up to Dean, who was still trying to wrap his head around what happened to his baby brother. "What you are missing in all of this is that you are a team," she stated matter of factly. Dean furrowed his brow at her sudden change in logic. "You are two halves of the same being. You need each other, live for each other." She pulled Sam back and looked at his tearstained face and reached for Dean's hand. "This was a test for _both_ of you. What _you_ don't know Sam is that your brother was worried sick over you. He _knew_ something was wrong, when none of us felt it." She gave an approving smile to Dean, who was startled at the accolade. "It was his quick thinking that got you back to the room and into the circle of protection. That was when the grip of the demon broke and Johnny and I made our move." Sam looked to Dean who was still working out the whole 'dark side thing in his head.

"Well, someone had to save your butt," spat out Dean, trying to sound calm yet macho. Sam was still noticeably concerned over the whole thing and not able to shake it from his mind.

Sam looked to Missouri with a fear in his eyes that she had never seen. "Missouri, were you able to… sense any of what was going on in my head? What would have happened, if I …" He trembled at the thought.

She brought him in close again. Missouri knew exactly what was happening to Sam, which was why she was having a hard time focusing on him during the dream walk. This wasn't the time to let Sam know how close he was to failing. "Thankfully, we'll never have to find out," she blurted out trying to avoid what she knew. "It's sure that there are more demons out there for you to face together, but this one seemed the cause of all your recent grief. If you were the 'chosen one,' I think it is pretty clear that you are choosing to stay on this side of the game." _How did she know I was the chosen one?_

……………………………………………………………………………………….

The atmosphere seemed to clear a little between the boys so Missouri went and retrieved Jana and Johnny in the hallway. There was no need to keep anything further from them. They reentered the room and the group continued to compare notes over the last several days. Jana told Sam how Dean saved him in the basement, then how Sam saved Dean from the psycho nurse. It was unclear how much Sam remembered of the events.

"So you're saying I channeled mom? You're kidding me, right," Sam demanded, looking better than he had earlier. They all looked at him and nodded. He was still very pale, but the twinkle was starting to return to his eyes. Johnny came and sat next to him on the bed. Sam stroked his head. _It's nice to know that he's just a normal kid again. _

"Sam, she was the one who said all of this was a test and it started in Lawrence. Through you! There was something about dad being close and that we had to look out for each other." Dean paused to let it sink in with Sam, who shook his head in disbelief. "I'm telling you, she was here, in this room, plain and simple." Dean was insistent. "Man, you even looked like her, with some of your facial expressions. Well, minus the bandages and black and blue marks." Sam fidgeted and grabbed for the water on his table near the window. "And you don't remember any of that?"

Sam shook his head. "I did have a déjà vu when the demon called me a pawn. I wasn't sure what that was about." He threw out the comment hoping to fish out something.

"A PAWN! Yeah, that's what the hot nurse said." Jana moved uncomfortably in the chair. Dean didn't notice. "We were _pawns _in the game," shouted Dean. "You actually remember that?"

Sam closed his eyes as if looking for something in his head. He furrowed his brow, then opened his eyes to recite _"Crein dol bodhaig bith ni fil? _What the hell does that mean?"

Jana's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God, you remember _that_?" She turned to Dean. "How could he remember that, but not your mother?"

Missouri added her two cents of intuition. "I think that Sam _was_ Mary. He was almost brain dead at the time so that allowed her to take control."

"He's always brain dead. Have you met my brother," shouted Dean ready to jump on the first moment to give Sam crap and make this whole thing seem more normal. Sam gave Dean a dirty look.

Missouri shushed him and continued. "She came here to protect you, to help you." She looked between the two of them. "Something called her back to you after everything that happened in Lawrence. Even though we thought she was gone, she knew it started in Lawrence and you two were going to go through some type of test." Missouri tried to piece everything together. She continued with her line of thinking. "When she 'possessed' you Sam, she must have flicked on something in you that was hypersensitive to Dean, and only Dean, as a way to protect the both of you," she inferred. "You sensed Dean was in danger and you sprang to life. Even though you were not really conscious, you made yourself help him. This might be part of your new 'powers.'" She continued trying to make sense of the situation. "You must have residual memories from the second time you were awake because it _was_ you that helped Dean. That phrase must have stayed in your memory through it, because of the importance of the moment."

There was a knock on the door and the gang looked up. It was Dr. Stonewell. She entered and perused the room and its guests. Her final glance landed on Sam and she smiled. "So, is it really you Mr. Jones, or have you been possessed by something new altogether today," she asked with a chuckle. Sam narrowed his eyes to get a grasp of who this person was and why she knew about the situation.

Dean saw the confusion in Sam's eyes and jumped in to distract. "Dr. Stonewell, this is officially my brother, Sam Jones. He seems to be of sound mind and body, thanks to you," he added with a nod and a smile. She returned it.

"Thank you doctor," said Sam with a slight tickle in his throat. "I know that I owe you for helping me get the hell out of my head." He reached for the water to ease his cough. She seemed a little uncomfortable and not quite sure what to make of the whole situation. Sam picked up on it and suddenly felt very self conscious. _She seems a bit off but I can't put my finger on it. _He smiled quickly at her to try and bring the situation back.

"I'll have to get back to you on what you owe me," she said with a laugh. "In the meantime, I want you to meet someone else. Come in Susan," she called. Dean's hot nurse entered the door. Everyone, including Sam, jumped at her entry. "No, no, don't worry. Everything is ok." Susan looked confused.

The woman timidly stepped further into the room. "I'm really sorry about earlier," she began with her Southern accent. "Apparently I blacked out for some time today and tried to hurt you," she said as she looked at Dean. "I can't explain what happened, but I have been given a clean bill of health – for the record." Sam and Missouri looked at each other and both had the same verdict that she was ok. They relayed that to Dean who was ready to continue with the moves.

"Well, you did a shotty job of giving me a sponge bath before. If you wanted to come back and make that up to me, I'd be ok with it." Sam threw darts at him with his eyes. _He never stops_. The nurse blushed.

"Actually, I wanted Susan to meet Sam since she will be taking care of both of you. I figured she could take your vitals and check your chart," she said to Sam affirming her presence. "_I'm_ here mainly for _your_ comfort level, _Indy_." Dr. Stonewell smiled at Dean as Susan went to Sam.

The blood pressure gauge was on the wall next to the window. Susan made her way over and pulled it off the wall next to Sam's bed. The pump part fell from her hands and knocked over the water to the floor. She quickly gathered the cup and went to clean up the spill under the bed. "I'm so sorry. I guess I'm still a little nervous."

"It's ok Susan," said Sam swiftly. "It's not like anyone goes that way to see me. It'll be fine." His voice was reassuring and she suddenly felt at ease.

"Sorry." She continued taking his vitals and marking everything down. Dr. Stonewell was checking over Dean who was still watching the nurse. He wanted to believe that she was ok but he watched her like a hawk over his brother, just in case. "Mr. Jones does still have a temperature. How would you like to handle that doctor?"

"Let's get some antibiotics for the IV. It will be quicker," the doctor stated as she made some checks on Dean's chart. "I would actually like to do a more thorough exam of Sam, just to make sure everything is working." Sam started to squirm. He hated doctors.

Dean saw Sam's uneasiness and pounced. "Pussy."

Sam smiled and played the game. "Jerk."

"Boys, boys! Can you behave for two minutes? My Lord what is with you," Missouri said to stop the bantering. Dr. Stonewell smiled and turned for the door. Sam couldn't help but laugh.

"Susan will just do a little more checking. I'll be back in a few moments and we'll take a look, ok?" She exited, leaving the nurse behind to continue checking out Sam.

"So, do you know why you blacked out," asked Dean, starting the inquisition. He was curious what her answer would be.

She added a few last notes onto Sam's chart and put the instruments away. "Honestly, no! They found me in the hallway in the chair outside your room. I don't remember much of anything from yesterday," she declared.

Sam looked to her and urged her to continue with the story. "What is the last thing you remember, Susan? What can you tell us?"

There was something about his voice. _They won't think I'm crazy_. "I remember a police officer." Sam and Dean looked at each other. "He looked injured and I went to grab him. He was, I don't know…different." She looked to Sam for reassurance and got it. She continued, "I felt weird and a coldness came over me. I guess I blacked out and woke up in the chair." She seemed embarrassed by how quickly she revealed the information to them. _I haven't told anyone that_.

Sam smiled at her and touched her arm. Susan felt a warming wave from him. "You're not crazy. We're just glad you're ok." Missouri looked at Sam, impressed at this new ability. The nurse gathered her things and made her way to the door. She paused before she left to look at Dean, and then lingered on Sam. They locked eyes and she shivered leaving the room.

"Boy, when did you start doing that? She was just oozing information," cried Missouri. She went to Sam and felt his face. "Does that expend any energy to do?"

"That started back in Peculiar with the desk clerk. We had no idea what was going on," Dean blurted out. He suddenly realized his mistake. "Damn, you should have asked her for her number!" Missouri looked at Jana who seemed self conscious. Dean looked up and realized that he hurt Jana. "Sorry, I was just kidding Jana," he paused. "It's my nature."

"Sorry," asked Sam dumbfounded. "Did you really just _apologize_? They say that I'm the one going through changes?" _I think he might actually like this girl._

The group continued to exchange verbal jabs at each other. During the timeframe, they had gotten Dean up into the wheelchair and decided that he needed to spend some time in the cafeteria since he kept abolishing everyone there. They were just getting ready to head out when Dr. Stonewell entered the room again.

"We're on our way doc," Dean announced. "How long do we need to stay away? I'm itching for a burger from the cafeteria. I hear the food is to die for." Jana looked at him and slapped him on the top of the head. "Ouch! What did you do that for," cried Dean.

"It won't be long, but Sam could use some rest," she said sweetly. "Use your judgment." She made her way toward Sam and injected the antibiotic into the IV. "That should help bring that fever down."

"Ok, we'll grab some food and come back in a while. Do you want anything Sam," they called back as the convoy headed into the hallway.

"Can I get a pop and a bag of chips?" Sam looked at the doctor for approval. She nodded.

"Got it. We'll be back," shouted Dean as they closed the door behind them. "Let's have wheelchairs races down the hall," they heard Dean saying in the hallway.

Dr. Stonewell chuckled and smiled at Sam. "He is something, that brother of yours," she said to try and ease the moment. "I know that exams are always uncomfortable. I promise to make this quick," she flipped through the chart. "Can you undo your gown so I can get a good listen to your heart? We want to make sure that there are no irregularities since your coma." Sam did as he was told.

It took a little effort, and it was painful, but he was able to let it down. As the gown dropped, he noticed that he had some additional bruising on his chest. He raised his hand and touched the spots. Sam was surprised at how sore he was now that he was partially upright. The bruises were tender to the touch. The doctor looked at him as if reading his mind.

"From what I understand, you were propped up against a bench when they found you. You must have fallen hard into it after the brick made contact." She continued with the stethoscope on his back. He nodded, understanding that line of logic. "Breath in. Out." Sam obeyed and was very relaxed. "In. Out" He continued to breath. The doctor made her way to the front and tried to avoid the bruised areas. She noticed that he was not the only brother who had a nice shape. She smiled to herself. "In. Out." Dr. Stonewell leaned to the side and raised the bed higher so she he would be more comfortable as she checked his skull. She helped him back into the pillows.

"So what's the verdict," said Sam lazily. "Do I have any heart issues, or is it just with my head." He smiled at the irony of that statement.

Dr. Stonewell grabbed the mini light and began to check the reaction in his eyes. His pupils were a little slow to react, but that was normal in his state. She peeled the bandage from his forehead carefully and looked through the stitches. Everything seemed in order. "You still have a concussion, obviously, and that will cause drowsiness but the incisions look good." On cue, Sam started to yawn.

"That was pretty good timing," he said feeling like he needed a rest. "What else do I need to do?" _Boy, I'm really tired_.

She put the light into her pocket. In the drawer next to the bed were new pads for the wound. The doctor opened the package and began to dress the injury carefully. She smiled at him. He looked up to her and tried to respond with a smile of his own. He began to blink, trying to stay awake. She finished with the bandaging and placed her hand on his head. She caressed his face and brought her hand to the middle of his chest. "You should have chosen differently."


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks for the comments! I have realized as I've been doing this that I really enjoy suspense. Thanks for hanging on that thread with me. I swear this is the end of the big stuff and then it starts to resolve. I'll be curious for your feedback with regards to Dean at the end of this chapter. This angle resulted from a heated discussion on a fan board. Does it work for you? Is it too much? I'm I off base? What am I talking about? Read on...

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 25**

Sam realized too late what was happening. The 'doctor's' hand burned through his chest to his soul. He attempted to scream out but whatever drug she gave him was inhibiting him. Sam tried to concentrate on his shield ability, but recognized that he hadn't used it in a conscious state. He went deep inside and tried to send for help, but he felt the empty echoes. _How did she get in here?_

"Did you think that you could destroy me in one attempt Sam _Winchester_," she said emphasizing that she knew exactly who he was. "That silly salt circles could keep me out? I have been on this Earth for hundreds of years," she continued, mocking his attempt to break free of her grasp. "The fool of a nurse did not spill the water, I did. That was all I needed to get to you," she laughed manically. "Many have attempted what you did. You were the first to succeed to damage my 'spiritual' aura." She continued to dig into his chest with pleasure. Sam's skin was melting beneath her touch. "Ah, such wasted power." Sam was persistent at trying to get free. The doctor continued to laugh at him. "You think you will escape now? You are weak and the drug will soon make you incapacitated." She reveled in her final glory. "I gave you a _choice _and you betrayed me. There is no second chance." Her eyes glittered with evil.

_Those were the uneasy feelings. Why didn't I know?_ Sam now knew he would die. The drug assured he was helpless. His father tried all this time to stop this demon and it was tailing _them_ all along. _If he'd only let us help_… Sam felt his eyes falling into the back of his head with every second that passed. He mustered what was left of his energy and was able to mutter "Christo" almost inaudibly to drive her away. The Lord's name in Latin was a powerful ally when used at full force. It took the demon aback for a moment, but the energy surged forward with a vengeance.

"Fool! Meek words cannot break me." She leaned forward. Sam was losing consciousness. _Dean, I'm sorry…._ With her other hand she leaned in for the kill. Suddenly the door burst open.

"No, but this will." An ancient sword came flying at the creature behind the running figure. She looked up too late. The weapon was submerged into her chest. "CHRISTO." The demon screamed and it reached for the sword. Sam saw the blade sticking out of the demons chest and looked on with confusion. Everything was hazy. The demon erupted into the flame that was its signature and tried to destroy the blade. Its anger moved from Sam to the figure as it lashed out. "CHRISTO." Another scream of agony as it began to dissipate before his eyes. Sam could not hang on, he fell to darkness with only the hope that this man could destroy the creature on his own.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Johnny came rushing into the room to see the flames evaporate into the air. He looked to Sam who was unconscious again, then to the figure, sweating and exhausted standing near the window. Johnny was confused and dare not move.

"It's ok, the demon is gone Johnny," the man said to him. His long trenchcoat was battered with burn marks. He wiped sweat from the top of his head and found the chair in the corner. He could stand no more.

Johnny timidly came into the room and went to check on Sam. As he approached, he smelled burning flesh and saw the handprint on Sam's chest. His heart dropped and he instinctively grabbed the water and doused it on the wound. Smoke rose from Sam's torso.

"What we need is Liss-more," proclaimed the man as he pulled a small charm from his pocket. He approached Sam and placed it on the wound. "This is an ancient herb from Ireland that has magical healing powers. It will help Sam to get well." The man looked at Sam and caressed his face. He spoke a few Gaelic words to get the charm working.

"How do you know about all this stuff mister," asked Johnny, still being protective of Sam.

"Because he's the one who taught it to us." Dean was wheeled into the room by Jana, closely followed by Missouri. "Dad…."

John Winchester went to his son and embraced him. "Dean. I'm so sorry. I had to know…"

Dean's emotions ran wild. "Know what? If Sam could survive your test," he shouted at his father with all his penned up rage. "He almost died because 'you had to know.' Was it worth it?" He grabbed the wheels and headed toward Sam. Dean looked at the burn marks on his chest. He examined the charm from a distance not wanting to interrupt its healing. "It was the doctor all along. The God damned doctor! And we didn't know." He turned to look back at Missouri who was speechless.

"I suspected that someone else in the hospital was connected to this. I saw the other minion demon get vanquished, but I knew there was another," stated John, revealing more of his secret.

"You have been the figure that has been wandering around. Just out of my reach," realized Missouri. "John Winchester I should pop you upside the head. What the hell were you thinking putting your boys in danger, again," she scolded, wagging her finger at him with her angry tone.

Dean was furious. He had been defending the man, now he wasn't sure what to think. "I can't believe it. You were here the whole time." He shook his head at the thought of his father being so close and avoiding them again, just like in Lawrence. "I sat and watched my brother suffer and almost die for nothing," he yelled. Dean was so angry he was shaking. "You sent us here to find out if Sam had any powers? That was the job? What good would that have done us if he would have died, or worse yet, turned." Dean turned on his father. "Do you have any idea what he went through? Do you know how close he was to becoming that evil we have been hunting dad?" Jana shuddered. She was not aware of that information. "What would we have done if Sam would have woken up and been possessed by a demon, with the powers that he now has?"

"Dean, I know it's hard for you to understand…"

"Hard for me? You know what's been hard for me dad," continued Dean in a frenzy. "You disappeared six months ago. You call once in all the time to tell us _not_ to call you, that it's too dangerous. That you're hunting the demon that killed mom and we can't help." He was on a roll now. "Then, you split Sam and me up because he wants to come and find your ass in California after you told us to stop looking for you. I left him on the road, in the middle of the night. Anything could have happened to him, especially in light of these new powers and I _left_ him, because we fought over _you_." John had his head down and took the verbal lashing from his son. "I did the job in Indiana you sent us on, alone. I almost got sacrificed to that pagan god, but Sam knew something was wrong and found me at the last minute." He wheeled the chair closer to his father. "Oh, let's not forget when I got electrocuted and Sam was so desperate to cure me, he took me to a faith healer where someone else died to save me. Do you know how it feels to live with that guilt dad?" Dean was shaking and trying to keep his voice under control. "I think he called you then to say I was dying, didn't he," he questioned his father. "Where the hell were you then? I wasn't part of the test? I'm not good enough?" Jana went to his side.

"Dean," began John, but he found he didn't have the words. The rest of the room stared in silence at the two of them. No one dared to move.

Missouri knew there was nothing John could say to make Dean understand his motives. She knew Dean was right to be angry. What John did was play poker with both of his children's lives. It seemed best to steer the conversation away for the moment. "So, did you really destroy the demon, the thing that killed Mary, or will it come back again."

John had his face in his hands still reeling over the words that stabbed him. He reached back and ran his fingers through his hair. "I can't be sure, but I think that ancient Celtic sword was what we needed. I drenched it in holy water and salted it for extra strength." He looked at his son who did not make eye contact. "I think it is gone, and it had to happen here. That's why I sent you to this area."

Dean was still angry, but he was curious about the line of comments. "Why here," he said, not looking at him.

"This is where you and Sammy were born," he began trying to gain eye contact with Dean. "This hospital. I thought maybe Mary's spirit was still here, in some form, as a possible protection for you. I knew if she could come back again, this would be the place." He looked to Missouri for support. "A piece of your soul and your mother's soul remain in this building because it was where you were given life."

He was the master of piecing together a puzzle. Dean could not deny him of that. He nodded in agreement. Jana saw the recognition of brilliance in Dean's eyes, but her heart was breaking for the pain in his soul. This man, their father, was Dean's existence, his mentor. For him to betray his children was more than she could bear to see. Dean turned back to Sam's bed and she touched his shoulder. Jana squeezed it gently and he reached for her hand. He held it in appreciation. Missouri smiled.

"Dean, I'm sorry. You are right. I did things…" he trailed off trying to find the right words to say, knowing that nothing would make amends. "My own stupid lust for the destruction of this thing almost resulted in the destruction of the things I was trying to protect. There is so much evil out there, I am blinded by it," he looked up to Dean. "What I should be looking for is the love," his voice cracked and tears ran down his face. "I should have come to find you when you were dying, but I figured that Sam would help you." John's tone was filled with regret and sorrow. "I didn't believe him, about how serious it was. You were always the warrior, I knew you would survive." He tried to make excuses for his behavior, but drifted into his rage of the demon. "I was so close to it then. I knew it was heading back this way. I didn't know…"

Dean looked him in the eyes. "No. You didn't." He glanced at his baby brother. "Sam and I, we are a great team," he said defiantly. "We'll probably be even more so now that he has these extra gifts. Thanks for that by the way," he said sarcastically and continued on. "We don't need you anymore. We can take care of ourselves." He turned from him and looked back to Sam. He took a deep breath, saying all the things he had wanted to since he left Sam that day on the road to Indiana.

"Dean," cried Missouri, "let's just all take a step back for a moment before we say things that we regret." She hated family conflict, especially _this_ family. "Your brother is ok, he is healing. That herb was exactly the right remedy for his ailment. We just have to wait for whatever drug she gave him to wear off." She looked at John and then to Dean, finally to Sam. The emotions were so high she had a hard time dealing with it. "When he wakes up, we'll have a family summit and get everything onto the table. You work much better together than at odds." The tension was thick and needed to be aired out. Missouri looked to Johnny who was lost in this whole affair. "Do you mind staying here with Sam honey? I think we all need to take a walk. You can call us if there are any problems." She handed him the cell phone that emerged from the backpack. He nodded and accepted the responsibility. Missouri ushered the group out the door.


	18. Chapter 18

Hi everyone

There is one more chapter after this to wrap everything up. I"ll post it tomorrow. I took some liberties with the story here to make more sense (at least in my head) I hope you don't mind. It's been a fun trip.

Also, I wanted to say thank you to all those that have added reviews. I confess, I don't know proper etiquette for thanking everyone. I noticed on some of your own stories you thank everyone individually. If that is the case, I sincerely apologize. Please let me know privately for the future and I'll make sure to do that! I have been reading your stories, trying to send reviews for encouragement. I also look at your favorites, I mean, you obviously have good taste right:D hee hee. There is some really cool stuff out there. I am really impressed!

Ok, here we go. The beginning of the end. Phew!

:D

Caroline

**Chapter 26**

Johnny stood over Sam and touched his face. "This is all my fault Sam. I never meant to hurt anyone. I didn't know…" He wanted to hug him to let him know how sorry he was but was afraid of the charm on his chest. He had an idea.

Johnny went to his backpack and grabbed the spoon. He set himself up with the picture of Sam, Dean and their father and the candle. He concentrated and soon was in Sam's head. "Sam? Are you here," the boy called. He showed Sam the picture. "Everything is ok now Sam. Everyone is safe. Your father is here. He saved you." He kept going, hoping that he was getting through. "We need you to wake up.," he said with a little quiver in his voice. "This is only a drug that is making you sleepy. You can get it out of you if you push it away. You need to do that so you can wake up, ok?" Johnny thought of anything else that he needed to tell him, but nothing came to mind.

The boy opened his eyes and blew out the candle. He ran to the backpack and put everything away. Johnny walked back to Sam and stood over Sam. He looked at him trying to decide what to do next. He grabbed his hand and leaned into his ear. "Sam?" He felt him lightly squeeze back. "SAM!"

Sam was disoriented and tried to open his eyes to the confusion. So much was swimming in his head that he was trying to sort out. What he knew was that Johnny was beside him, pushing him awake. He also knew that he was just in his dreams. Sam tried to focus on the boy and had a hard time. The drug was powerful and he had to work to fight against it. Johnny pressed harder to drive him awake. Sam willed himself to wake up. He saw more of the sun coming through the window, but it was all still cobwebs. He reached his hand and tried to brush away the sleep. Johnny could see he needed a little more assistance. "Sam," he began still squeezing his hand, "your father is outside waiting to see you. That wasn't a lie to get you awake." The words rung in his ears and he snapped further awake.

Missouri entered with Dean and rolled him to the bed. "I thought I heard you young man," she said to Johnny. "How on earth did you come awake so quickly," she said to Sam. Her focus turned to Johnny who was smiling up at her. "I should have known!" She reached and tousled his hair. She leaned and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You are a wonder."

Dean's eyes were big with excitement, but still a touch of uneasiness. "Sammy, how are you feeling?"

He was still struggling with the moment, but leave it to Dean to push his final button. He couldn't take it any longer. "Look, I've tolerated it this whole trip," Sam began at Dean who looked confused. "For the last time, it's SAM, ok?" He looked at Dean and mustered a smile to let him know he was doing better. Dean grabbed Sam's hand with both of his. The connection was there. Sam looked to Dean and said, "did Johnny say dad was here?" Dean's face dropped.

John Winchester entered the room and looked at his two boys. He was swelling with pride, even though he continued to get a tongue lashing from Dean in the hall. He went to the other side of Sam's bed. He took the charm from his son's chest. The burn was much improved and even some of the black and blue marks on his face seemed to heal as well. John held his face in his hands. "Sam, I'm sorry…"

He looked at his father, still fighting the grogginess. "Why does everyone keep saying that to me? What happened?" He stopped himself and focused his energy to John. "Wait, why are you here?" Sam looked to Dean for any indication.

Dean couldn't help himself. He was still angry from the conversation that had continued in the hallway. "Oh, daddy dearest has some family secrets he needs to fess up," he said crossing his arms in the chair. "The first and most important one was that he knew this was going to happen to you and he let it."

Sam looked at him imploringly, hoping that Dean was making a joke. "Dad?" John sat on the bed. Tears rolled down his face realizing the mistakes he had made and what it had cost him, unless his children forgave him.

John explained that through the years, he learned that there were prophecies of two brothers vanquishing evil in several cultures. The younger of the two, in his 22nd cycle would develop gifts to assist them on their journey. The older would be the warrior, the younger, the philosopher. As he studied these stories he realized there could be no outside interference for this link between the brothers to truly develop. He began to believe that Sam and Dean were the chosen two, thus he fled to let them rekindle the fire of brotherhood. He knew there were many fences to mend after the way Sam left. Their quest to find him was their bonding experience. John had no idea what would really happen, but Missouri had confirmed the dreams that Sam was having which seemed the first steps to the prophecy.

More evidence compounded that Sam would develop other powers as well, but would have to go through a transformation to do it. Things fell into place with the mystery of Julie Davis. Peculiar had the right formula to launch the next phase for Sam. John knew they were close to Lawrence, their sacred ground. But he didn't know about Johnny. He had no idea that Sam had just dreamt of Peculiar when he sent the coordinates to them. The demon was aware of the prophecy as well and had its own plans. It had, after all, called Sam the 'chosen one.' That comment made Dean shiver. It was making its way back to the Midwest planting its own seeds and John was hot on its trail. John confessed that he didn't think the whole thing through, which was why he had been hovering around the room, just staying out of Missouri's reach and getting updates of what was going on. He knew that it would be dangerous for Sam and Dean and he slowly became aware of the demons' intentions with Sam. If he made his move too soon, his cover would be blown, and it would all be for naught.

"I know that I have made some terrible choices, but everything from the day your mother was killed has led to this moment," continued John. He looked at both of his children with nothing but love in his eyes. "I have been a terrible father, I know that. My overwhelming need to destroy this thing has put you right in the middle." John got up from the bed and went to the window. He looked out at the sunset. "You were chosen, 22 years ago. It's your destiny to fulfill this prophecy. To annihilate the evil." He turned back to look at them. "The two of you, together. Not me. But you must decide that this is the path you will take." Everyone stared at John and the words he spoke.

Sam and Dean didn't know what to say. They had been raised practically from birth to do only this, and they were good at it. When Sam was in College, this work always called to him, even though he fought to be normal. Strange things would find him, and he would resolve them in his own way. Sam stirred uneasily in the bed and tried to raise himself. His chest still burned, but it wasn't the pain that he had an hour ago. He looked to his father. "Dad," he began, "I honestly think you _thought_ you were doing the right things," he began as his father turned back to look at him. "We have been doing this a long time, and you should have been able to trust us, or at least Dean, with this information." Dean snapped his head to Sam and narrowed his eyes at the comment. "This whole thing could have gone terribly wrong. I don't think you understand what I went through when I was in the coma," his thoughts drifted to the torture he endured. "If you could have warned me, I could have prepared for it. I had no idea what was going on. If it wouldn't have been for Dean's quick thinking…." He choked on his words as the memories flooded back to him. He looked to his brother. "And Dean. What about what Dean went through waiting to have some sort of sign from me? I could have come out a completely different person. Dean was the one who found the way out for me. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the people that surround me, and care for me." He grabbed Dean's hand and squeezed with all his might. "And for that, I'm grateful."

"Dude, that hurts, knock it off." He ripped his hand away from Sam. John chuckled despite himself.

"My point is that we need you, _every_ day. That's why we were looking for you. It wasn't just for answers, it was for support." Sam touched his chest to find that it was much less painful than before and some of the bruises from the fall had healed further. "We didn't know about this herb. There is so much we don't know. And yes, you _have _been a terrible father, especially to Dean." Sam looked over to him. "He loves you dad and will do anything for you, with an unwavering faith," Sam stated. "He never questioned you, and you shut him out." John lowered his head and listened to his children. Dean stared at Sam.

The flood gates were open. The conversation continued in a civil manner for several hours. Jana and Johnny sat and listened to the amazing stories that echoed each other. There was more yelling, and more sorrow, but overall the Winchesters were healing. The parallels of their jobs were uncanny in some cases. Sam and Dean learned of how John found the trail to the demon and they volleyed by telling him their accounts of the supernatural. It was a reunion of the weird and wonderful. Missouri felt good about the progress and felt that things were moving in the right direction.

Johnny yawned, even though he was interested in what they were saying. Dean noticed it first and piped up. Hours had gone by in a breeze. "You know Jana, it's certainly safe for you to go home. We aren't in any danger any more, other than from our hospital bill." They laughed at the thoughts how they were going to pay this off, but decided it wasn't worth discussing this evening. "You should get a good night's sleep." Jana agreed and they packed up their things and said good night.

John had a room down the street at the hotel and headed back that way, while Missouri contented herself in her favorite chair. She wasn't driving at night, and she just wanted to make sure that everything was ok. They were all settling down and saying goodnight when Susan entered the room with a precarious look on her face. Sam cocked his head and asked if everything was alright. "You haven't seen Dr. Stonewell have you? She's been missing for hours."

The boys looked at each other, then to Missouri and shook their heads. The nurse shrugged and left the room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Here is it. This is it! Please see notes at the end...**

**Chapter 27**

The following day, Dean was released from the hospital. He was told he needed to be on strict bed rest, so he demanded he be taken for burger and fries at the nearest restaurant immediately. Jana and Johnny were happy to oblige to get out into the world again and start living their new life.

Sam was to stay for another day or so for observation. His health had improved immensely. The doctors were befuddled at how quickly he had come around. The bruises and the scar on his face were making marked improvements. The burn on his chest left only a small scar that the doctors never saw. Missouri kept him company in the room while Dean was away living the good life. She filled Sam in on all the things that she had told Dean in his 'absence,' including housing their father when they were with Jenny and the kids, and feeling Sam's developing powers even then. She swore no more secrets and promised to work with Sam to figure out what was going on in his head. Missouri also confessed she knew everything that happened during the confrontation with the demon and how it scared the hell out of her. She still shook her head at how they came out of it relatively unscathed. The two of them bantered back and forth about the next steps of Sam's development. The main concern was how they would keep Dean sane through the process.

John was around and tried to continue to make amends with the boys. Things were certainly better than they had been as Dean continued his rants on being abandoned. He did sneak in his occasional boasting of the things they had killed and how they did it without his help. Sam reaffirmed why he wanted to better himself and his mind at Stanford. He explained that he was desperate to get away from the 'family business' and was looking for other answers. Sam told his father how he was going to interview for a law school when everything went wrong. John sat and listened to the two of them. They each had their gifts. John learned that his two boys were amazing young men – a warrior and a philosopher.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

"I can't believe this is finally over," cried Sam, a free man taking in a deep breath of fresh air. "If I never see another hospital again in my life…" Missouri shot him a look, she was very superstitious. Susan pushed him out the front door in the wheelchair. It was hospital policy. She wanted to make sure that the last _Jones_ brother made it out ok. Dean and Jana followed behind her and Johnny brought up the rear. Sam turned back to her and smiled. "Thanks for all your help Susan. We really appreciate it." She took his hand and shook it.

"I'm really sorry again for everything that happened," she said with her light Southern drawl. "I wish Dr. Stonewell were here to see you go. They never did find her." She pondered the comment, looking for some type of answer.

"I'm sure she knows we're fine," said Sam quickly. "If you do see her, please send our regards." Susan nodded to Sam and waved goodbye to Dean who couldn't help but give her one last up and down. He shook his head.

Missouri took Sam's arm as he got up from the wheelchair. She had insisted that he come spend a few days with her to continue his recuperation. She even said she had an herb mixture that could make his hair grow back faster. That was the selling point for Sam. Dean decided to stay with Jana and Johnny to give Sam, Missouri and hopefully their father some time alone. He knew that Sam had a lot of questions, and as much as Dean would have liked to be there, it was best for them to figure it out without him. It was still a little too creepy for him and if his brother was going to be bending spoons and throwing things across the room, he would rather keep away and wrap his ownhead around it first. Dean used the excuse that he wanted to go back with Jana to make sure the house on Gregory was completely clean. Sam and Missouri knew his reasons and encouraged that line of thinking. He deserved a few days of comfort and happiness. Jana and Dean had also developed a bond over the last few days that Dean wanted to explore it a little further.

"So, you'll come get me in a few then," Sam said calling back to Dean who was a few cars away. "At least you'll be out of my hair. Oh wait, I don't _have_ any hair." Dean had his car keys in hand and pitched them at Sam. His reflexes were quick and he threw a shield up instinctively. The keys dropped to the ground.

"I think I am going to like _that_ a whole lot," Dean said as he trotted over to retrieve the keys from the ground. "Even though you are a freak." He slapped his brother on the arm and turned his back to him. His face dropped with worry.

"Takes one to know one," he retorted as a small child would. Sam perused the parking lot looking for their father. He was still inside the hospital dealing with the bill, they suspected.

Inside John was at the nurse's station. He found a young man who was still obviously wet behind the ears. _Perfect_. John asked if he could see the records of the Jones brothers. "I'm sorry sir, I can't give you confidential information. You are not family and you are not a doctor."

He flashed some phony ID. John looked to the man and smiled. "Of course you _shouldn't_ give them to me, but what will it hurt to take a look." Before he knew it, the young man had given John the paper records to look at. He glanced through to make sure that everything he needed was in the file. It seemed it was in order. "I would also love to see the computer records," said John as he cocked his head slightly.

The nurse was conflicted. He knew he shouldn't give information out, but he seemed ok. _He has ID_. John made his way over to the other side of the station and pulled up the records on the boys. John hit print for Dean Jones and then Sam Jones. He checked that there were no additional hidden pages and deleted both files.

"Hey! You can't do that. Those are official records." The young man reached for the phone only to stop midway.

"You don't want to do that," said John soothingly. He looked the man in the eyes and smiled deeply. "These records were never in the computer." The man blinked several times and looked disoriented. In that timeframe, John jumped back to the other side of the desk. "Thanks for all your help, Jason," John said as he squinted at the nametag. "You have a great day." He left the station and headed for the door with records in hand.

In the lot, the boys were saying their final goodbyes when their father finally showed up. John had agreed to go back with Missouri for a few days. She had more room to spare and it would give the three of them time to talk and see where their next mission would be. He said he would follow in his car. Dean agreed to come out in two days so they could hit the road, as a family.

Johnny went to Sam and started to cry. "Sam, I'm sorry about everything." Sam stopped him and knelt down beside him. He gave him a hug and stroked his hair.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Johnny," he pulled him back from his chest. "You and I will see each other again. That I promise." He winked at him and stood back up. Sam went to Jana and gave her a hug. "Thank you for standing by my side and taking care of my brother. We couldn't have done this without you." He kissed her on the cheek and headed to Missouri's car. They waved goodbye and went their separate ways.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jana and Dean enjoyed each other's company without the pretense of evil around every corner. Johnny seemed to be settling back into normal life living away from his home. It was unclear what they would do with the Davis home, but it was certain that Johnny would live with Jana. Two days flew by and it was soon time for Dean to leave. They stood outside the impala.

"Jana, you are an incredible woman," he began.

"Don't Dean. I know." She held his hand in hers and kissed him.

He felt safe with her. She knew the secret and accepted it. _Why didn't I see it earlier?_ There was no deception in their understanding of one another. It was unlike anything that Dean had known. "I want to stay and get to know you better." He slid his hand down her arm. "And I'd certainly like to see you try and bench press me, but I can't. Not with everything that has happened."

A tear fell down her cheek as she let out a chuckle. She looked at him. "Believe me I know. I am part of the reason all of this went down. It could have been so different, so tragic," he pressed his finger to her mouth.

"None of this is your fault. It was how it was meant to be." He leaned back into the impala. "Sam and I, we have a long road ahead of us. Everything is going to change with his new gifts and our dad. I don't know how I'm going to handle it, but he's my brother and I have to protect him. I don't know what is going to happen," he stroked her hair, "and it's not fair for me to ask you to wait."

She nodded. "Just know that when you are around, you always are welcome here." She inclined towards him for one last kiss. Johnny came flying out the door towards them.

"Dean! You can't leave without saying goodbye." He ran into Dean's arms, gently, and gave him a hug.

"I wouldn't _dream_ of it," he said with a wink to Johnny and he burst out laughing at the joke. He rustled his hair and made his way into the driver's seat. He started his baby and let her purr. Dean craned his neck out the window. "See you around."

Jana waved and Johnny jumped up and down. The impala hit the road and he watched them in the rearview mirror. He turned toward the highway and left the city limits of Peculiar with AC/DC blaring in the background.

An hour later, Dean arrived in Lawrence to find Sam and Missouri standing in the front yard. He knew something was wrong. Missouri held their father's journal in her hands. He put the car in park and got of out the car with his still limited mobility. "What is it?" Dean walked to Sam. He couldn't read his facial expression. Sam handed Dean a letter.

_Dean and Sam_

_Don't be angry, and don't be surprised. In your heart of hearts, you knew I wouldn't stay. I can't. It's not my destiny, it's yours. Although I want to believe this is over, there is a part of me that knows it's not. I need to make sure. I promise I won't be completely out of touch, but I will not be in contact unless I need to be._

_I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I have learned more about you in the last several days than all the time I spent with you growing up. I am so proud of both of you._

_To my warrior: Do not doubt your strengths and embrace your weaknesses. You are more powerful than you can ever imagine._

_To my philosopher: Continue your journey of the mind beyond this life. It will all come together at a crossroads._

_To my children: I love you more than you can imagine. I wish you health and happiness on the path to your destiny._

_Dad._

"You are fucking kidding me, right? He just upped and left again," screamed Dean. Anger brewed in his gut. _Not again!_ He threw the letter to the ground and started walking down the street.

"Dean," called Sam after him. He glanced back at Missouri who nudged him to go after him. "Dean." He caught up to him and stopped him, already out of breath. "You honestly thought he was going to stay?"

Dean had a look of betrayal on his face. He was breathing heavily as well, not sure which emotion to latch on to at the moment. "I didn't get to say goodbye. He left again," he said, choosing anger. "You spent the last two days with him and I got nothing – again." He looked at the sky trying to grasp what just happened, how it happened when he was right there.

"Dean. He never came back here," Sam said grabbing his shoulders. He could feel his brother's pain oozing from his pours. "He slipped the note under the door the day we came back from the hospital. I never saw him either. It's just been Missouri and me."

Dean tightened his jaw and dug his gaze into Sam. "You serious?" Sam nodded his head and turned to walk back toward Missouri. Dean followed. "Why didn't you call me to tell me," he questioned. "I would have come back earlier."

"And done what? Started the trail?" Sam looked to Dean with a comprehension he didn't have before. "This is what he wants for himself and this is what he wants for us. What we choose to do from here is up to us." He paused and smiled at his brother. "Besides, you needed to make up your own mind with Jana. I didn't want to put a cramp in your style," he said hitting him on the arm. Dean pushed him away in a playful manner.

They started to walk back down the street. Dean looked at his brother and put his arm around his shoulder. _How the hell am I going to deal with these abilities?_ He smiled and pulled him in closer. "I made my choice, what about you?"

Sam smiled in reply. It was going to be an interesting ride over the next few weeks. He decided it was best not to get into what he could do with Dean because it would scare the hell out of him. Sam went with the light route. "Can we update your tape collection with something from say, the 80's?"

"No way in hell!"

"Then I'm out," said Sam with a grin.

Dean grabbed his brother and gave him a noogie. "Oh, I guess this doesn't really work for you does it," he said releasing his brother's head. "You have to actually have hair." Sam mocked punched Dean in the gut. They stopped and looked at each other. "Partners?"

"Partners."

Suddenly Dean's phone rang.

_There you have it! What did you think? I would love to hear from those of you that have just been reading. I know you're out there... :D I really appreciate all the kind words and support over the last few weeks. You guys rock._

_So, did the Jana/Dean thing work or were you mad? I tried to make it light, and not overwhelming. I wanted a reverse flirtation with an oblivious Dean. What about Sam? Too much? There wasn't really a doubt in my mind that dad would leave again, but I wanted to give Dean his due for all the crap he has put up with. And what about dad having powers... I'm anxious to hear what your thoughts are. PLEASE let me know. I"m debating about another (short) fic (really, I swear!) that takes place after Bloody Mary. It won't be for a bit yet because now I'm swamped._

_Thanks again for everything! You make this fun! Keep writing yourselves! I'm enjoying your stuff too!_

_:D_

Caroline


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